Product Description

Each day men and women diagnosed with mental disorders are told they need to pray more and turn from their sin. Mental illness is equated with demonic possession, weak faith and generational sin. Why is it that the church has struggled in ministering to those with mental illnesses? As both a church leader and professor of psychology and neuroscience, Dr. Stanford has seen far too many mentally ill brothers and sisters damaged by well meaning believers who respond to them out of fear or misinformation rather than grace. Grace for the Afflicted is written to educate Christians about mental illness from both biblical and scientific perspectives. Dr. Stanford presents insights into our physical and spiritual nature and discusses the appropriate role of psychology and psychiatry in the life of the believer. Describing common mental disorders, Dr. Stanford asks of each: What does science say and what does the Bible say about this illness? Mental illnesses addressed in the book include: Mood Disorders Anxiety Disorders Schizophrenia Dissociative Disorders Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Eating Disorders Substance Use Disorders Borderline Personality Disorder

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63547 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Matthew S. Stanford holds a doctoral degree in neuroscience from Baylor University. He is a nationally recognized researcher and speaker in the area of aggressive and impulsive behavior, having published over fifty peerreviewed articles in leading medical and scientific journals. In August 2003, he returned to Baylor University as a professor in the Psychology and Neuroscience department where he presently serves as the director of the Doctoral Program (Ph.D.) in Psychology. He is an active member of the American Psychological Association, Society for Psychophysiological Research and the International Society of Research on Aggression. He is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and serves as the secretary and treasurer for the International Society for Research on Impulsivity.

Customer Reviews

Grace for the Afflicted
Grace for the Afflicted is a much needed book in the Christian community. Having to deal with my mother going through extreme depression there was many times I did not know which way to turn. Christian friends tried to offer advice without any knowledge of what they are talking about. It's difficult to know how to react until someone you love is diagnosed.

Matthew S Stanford, PhD explains all mental disorders such as: Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Schizophrenia, Dissociative Disorders, Eating Disorders, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders, Substance Use Disorders & Borderline Personality Disorders. Then he covers how we can help those who struggle with these mental problems. This is a great book that is Jesus-centered. I highly recommend this book if you are dealing with any mental disorder, or if you are taking care of or know someone who is. What a wonderful gift to give to someone who is facing these problems and do not know which way to turn.

Grace for the Afflicted
It is always hard for me to review a non-fiction book. I am not quite sure why this is. I requested this book for the First Wild Card Tour because I have a daughter with ADHD. I was hoping that it could give me some perspective on how to help her as she is growing up. (She is currently 16). This book was able to give me encouragement as a parent and in the gift that she is as my child, but I think it is more orientated to those who might actually be called upon to counsel people or families with different mental illnesses.

Grace for the Afflicted starts out detailing how we are created and that we embody body, mind and spirit - and that any illness, whether physical or mental, needs healing on all levels.

There are then a series of chapters going into more detail on different mental illnesses including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, substance use disorders and borderline personality disorder. Each of these disorders are broken down even further, giving us specific types of each disorder and their symptoms. Causes of them, psychological, environmental, physical, biological are all listed as well as possible treatments. Each chapter is summed up with what the Bible says about the disorder, if anything and reminds us of how are faith can play a role in supporting the person afflicted.

I grew up with an older sibling that has had many labels, include schizophrenia as an adult, so no one had to convince me that mental illness takes more than just praying for person to be healed - or that the person just needed to want to get better. Now as a parent with an ADHD child I have seen first hand the effects that correct medication can do to ease some of the symptoms. Like I said, I did get encouragement that it was not something that I did wrong as a parent that "made" my child have ADHD, but reminded me that my child was given to me as a gift from God for a reason, and while I might not know what that reason is yet, He has equipped me with the ability to love and raise her as a believer in Christ. He will support me in whatever trials still lay ahead.

I think this book would be good for any church member who may or may not struggle with accepting mental illness as "true" illnesses and the best way they can council other believers. This book would actually be good in pointing out to ANY person that mental illness is just as serious and just as real as physical illness.

Balanced, compassionate perspective
I really enjoyed this book, as a Christian and as someone who has had to deal with relatives with mental illness. It gives a very balanced view of mental health conditions, and it addresses the uninformed views that some Christians have regarding mental illnesses and the use of medication to treat them.

The book also does a good job in helping the non-afflicted to understand the afflicted, and why they cannot just "get over it" or "pray harder."

I highly recommend this book.