Together Dr. Jennifer Chen and Dr. Ernie Baker sit down to talk about Dr. Chen’s book Biblical Counseling and Mental Disorder Diagnosis, part of the Critical Issues in Biblical Counseling series.
After many conversations with Dr. Baker and time spent in the biblical counseling world, Dr. Chen became increasingly aware of the misconceptions surrounding the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This manual lists various mental disorder diagnoses, but the labels it provides are often misunderstood.
Many people tend to view the DSM labels and diagnoses as discrete biological diseases. However, even the DSM itself describes these diagnoses as sets of signs and symptoms that tend to occur together, not as specific biological illnesses. In fact there are no biological markers, such as genes or lab tests, that confirm any biological connection.
Because of this, Dr. Chen’s book is especially important for biblical counselors. It helps explain exactly what the DSM is and what it is not. Within the church, it has become common to give the DSM authority that should instead only belong to Scripture. The DSM can only label a person, and that label can quickly be wrongly viewed as someone’s identity, leading many people to hopelessness. It is only by giving the Bible the ultimate authority over one’s struggles that can truly change their heart and bring true hope.
