A Review of John MacArthur's Comments on PTSD, OCD, ADHD / Mental Illness

In this video Dr. Costa reviews John MacArthur's statements on PTSD, OCD, ADHD and related mental health issues. Dr. Costa believes MacArthur's statements are highly irresponsible and potentially damaging to Christians who suffer with these conditions and to parents who have children who suffer with these conditions.
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[@MarkAdkins-r1p]

He should be ashamed of himself and apologize to everyone with a mental illness.

[@awatchman8057]

You don't have to shame Pastor John in this manner. He's been a faithful servant of God. Pastor John is surely wrong in this matter, but we have to correct him lovingly. I believe Pastor John was speaking from the place of ignorance in this matter, I see real cases of mental health issues everyday in my job and I know Pastor John isn't out to deliberately mislead Christians, but he's honestly wrong. This doesn't make John a false teacher and so let's appreciate him as a blessing to the body of Christ while at the same time lovingly correct him when he's wrong on certain issues. Peace be upon God's people everywhere, Amen.

[@janemadarang7453]

And to say ADHD not rreal..clearly he doesnt know anything..

[@ImCarolB]

Shame on him! As a person who has had mental struggles at times, as well as a parent, family member, friend, and a teacher of people who have needed help for short-term or permanent suffering, his ignorance, lack of practical support, and disregard for all involved is inexcusable.

[@MarkAdkins-r1p]

He doesn't know his boundaries.

[@sonjamccart1269]

I disagree with MacArthur completely. He has no clue about what some parents go through....and nobody is saying you should just medicate your kids! But when you have a child who is on the autism spectrum who cannot even function or get a job because they take so long to get ready and throw up every other meal....this is not just a "tough it out" solution.

[@krystalgoin]

I have so much respect for John MacArthur, but I dont agree with everything he says. This is one of those times where I disagree with him. I think you did a good job of bringing medications into perspective, that some are needed and important as well as acknowledging there are real mental disabilities. I experienced baby blues (not as strong as post partum depression...much more mild) and it was real and difficult. My hormones were all outta whack and I would just break down crying for no reason at all. And, I couldnt control it. So glad it went away on its own after a few weeks. It made me really feel sympathetic towards those who have depression for sure. There are real mental illnesses too.

[@ImCarolB]

I was given no option to seek help for postpartum depression, but was told it was my fault. I stayed in that state through three children, over seven years. No one should have to go through that. The cost was terrible.

[@theodosios2615]

Love John MacArthur, he's been a fighter for truth for decades. But it's time to retire.

[@4jeffinseattle]

What about our war veterans???(PTSD)

[@UnfollowingDavidLynn]

You are absolutely right about this being a problem in the church! Just saw a post of someone struggling with their faith and a person commenting that "It's not God who failed. You weren't seeking him diligently." It's not much different with MacArthur and this is just years of a similar mindset where he denies that his people have depression and basically tells people to suck it up or be more grateful. His elders have done nothing about it in the past but cover for him and doesn't seem like it will be different now. This rhetoric totally explains why his counseling department has been flagged with telling women for years to stay with their abusive husbands and how he excommunicated Eileen Gray for refusing to reconcile with her husband (who was physically abusing her and molesting the kids - and is serving a life sentence for those). There was another case as well where a women sexually abused by her father as a kid, during his pastoral term under MacArthur, was following up about the incident years later (because she found out that nothing was done and her father went on to molest many others). MacArthur questions her in a documented letter, stating, "I'm not sure why this has become an obsession for you after so many years". So, what we are seeing here is the ugly head of years of destructive and harmful practices. But again, it's not just him and as you will see in your comments, many others will display a similar attitude towards those suffering and worst, being abused.

[@strivingswithinpureo-ocdre7172]

Thanks for taking the time to encourage those of us who are afflicted with mental health disorders. I actually came to my OCD diagnosis partially because of John Bunyan's book "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners." His account of suffering mirrored my own. He referenced the experience as an affliction that he had to deal with on a daily basis. He also listed the ways God used it to strengthen his dependence on and allegiance to God. I'm thankful for a diagnosis and practical management strategies. I'm also thankful for how God has used it to humble me, teach me about empathy, teach me about the insufficiency of my own righteousness and many more things. But my OCD has caused intense and prolonged seasons of suffering. God answered my prayers for help by my coming to a diagnosis and since that day my suffering has been much, much less because of the practical things like ERP and meds. Some things are best understood through experience. But to have your suffering dismissed is always hurtful.

[@mikeinterbartolo5706]

Significant points Tony - thank you for sharing this episode. I hope Pastor MacArthur will be notified about his irresponsible comments. I do like Pastor John, but he’s horrendously out of bounds here. There’s a fantastic new book release that you might be interested in Tony; it’s called: Beyond the Clinical Hour- How the Counselors Can Partner with the Church to Address the mental health crisis.

[@winsomepickett7694]

Oh, I'm sure he has been "notified" about his irresponsible comments. And I'm sure he doesn't care. Has he ever apologized for anything?

[@hackandslash873]

Recently saw him gleefully preaching about the return of sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem. I know people that are very emotionally attached and defensive of this man. Now this. Scary.

[@SeekTheCross]

Thanks Tony, I suffer from PTSD and a form of autism (pddnos) and i am so happy I wasn't following John Mac cause this kind of stuff would bother me for a while. I had a moment before where the Orthodox did the same to me, the things they said i did not feel the grace and mercy of God in it I had that moment before that you mentioned. Its so bad for folks just coming to Christ. Lord bless.

[@UntilAllHear]

Thank you for your comments on this. Very well said.

[@jessrussell2825]

"have the faith to move mountains... But struggle with these conditions..."❤

[@annemarchinetz5505]

I’m not sure if he’s always felt this way or if it’s an age thing. He obviously has never struggled with mental illness himself or anyone close to him (hopefully)

[@rroyr5698]

John is way off base in his reasoning. Thanks Tony and God Bless!

[@michaels7325]

Not really. It's a q&a and he was trying to point out that we are quick to just shove pills down peoples throats. Not only that but being a victim with all these special mental illnesses has become a bragging point instead of something to hide. It's wierd.

[@Catholic-Christian]

@@michaels7325please dont be this evil. He literally said ptsd, ocd, adhd etc does NOT EXIST. You are ignorant like him because thankfully you haven’t suffered from these things.

[@michaels7325]

@@Catholic-Christian I have ocd by definition. Don't need drugs to control it. Do me a favor and look at the diagnosis rates in the last 20 years to present and then get back to me.

[@Catholic-Christian]

@@michaels7325That’s probably because it’s not severe enough or you just don’t want medication. Have you given meds a chance? Severe OCD needs medication. What’s your point? Overdiagnosis/medication is probably true but that has nothing to do with Macarthurs baloney of denying the existence of the conditions.

[@michaels7325]

@@Catholic-Christian my point is it is too general a diagnosis. Mental retardation, autism, etc. Those are mental illnesses. Ocd, adhd, and ptsd. Again look up diagnosis rates per capita. The numbers will blow your mind. Those 'illnesses' are not comparable to blood pressure meds, insulin, etc. They are all states of mind that can be fixed with therapy. Not dulled with pills. Prove me wrong

[@shedone1050]

John MacArthur has put himself in a righteous position. This is the problem with Man that there’s no confrontation to behavior on becoming. we had a friend and this story is documented on Roy’s report… He was a pastor there at MacArthur‘s church. The family of the pastor came to MacArthur and asked for help in confronting the pastor (their father) about molesting one of his daughter’s. The story in the Roy’s report is very long…but bottom line he told this daughter to get over it and move on. I know the story to be true as we were friends with this family and I was very good friends with his wife. They begged John to help them he basically ignored them and never responded to their emails and continued to keep him on a a pastor. He has since passed on. Unfortunately, I have other stories from our dear aunts that were also there at the church years ago but again this is just another case of the high rollers in the church, loving the good life , and not about to give up that leader. It almost reminds me of the political situation today another case of people forgetting who Jesus Christ is and putting man above him. When we’re in God‘s word, he can fix us up our own righteousness. Just like Beth Moore stated… Christ perks, our heart when we need to ask for forgiveness But if you’re not hearing Christ in your misbehaviors, who are we listening to?. Again, this is documented information of which I know to be true. The other issue he preached for his elders to not have children and that’s even adult children to be elders. If their kids have disobeyed and yet John MacArthur has a son who would fit into that category. And yet everyone totally disregards the whole thing. No wonder our young people suffer with the hypocrisy of those in leadership.

[@dustinsegers4534]

John MacArthur has been saying things like this for decades, but probably due to age, he is much less diplomatic and careful than he was when speaking on this issue years ago. I have greatly appreciated much of what he’s said through the years, but his comments on the issue of mental health/mental illness have always struck me as odd and very anti-intellectual. This is because we live in the era of functional MRI scans, brain studies, etc. that *do* show objective evidence of various mental illnesses such as bipolar, schizophrenia, etc. I’ve never understood why many of our Reformed/Nouthetic counseling brethren thoroughly believe that disease can affect any organ in the body, but the brain is somehow off-limits. Due to their rigorous view of the fall (which I share), it makes no sense to say that the brain isn’t affected too. Moreover, MacArthur’s comments are deeply hurtful to people who have suffered extreme prolonged abuse (whether domestic or otherwise) and continue to suffer the aftereffects of it (PTSD/cPTSD). Secondly, abuse in the mental health circles by big pharma and doctors/counselors something doesn’t indicate whether it’s true or not. Finally, this entire way of thinking that is endemic in certain areas of Calvinistic circles (and I’m a Calvinist) puts Christians on a performance treadmill that leads to futility, frustration, and religious burnout.

[@tonycostatorontoapologetic5307]

Agreed.

[@blindvision4703]

I have ADHD and Asperger syndrome. I saw someone on Twitter basically saying that what he’s railing against is people over medicating children when they don’t need to, as a society or cultural trend, and that I can understand. I’m not sure if that’s exactly what he’s saying, though. I’ll have to finish the video. But between this and what he said about making a cake for a gay wedding and Phil Johnson having to cover for him again, and with him being over 90 years old, I wonder if the time may be coming when he may need to peacefully retire from the ministry and let someone else take the helm, unless these gaps continue to grow. This is an inflammatory comment, but considering what the situation that we have with Joe Biden, I can’t help, but wonder if, even if he’s teaching well on Sundays now, his condition may not improve from here on out. It’s at least worth considering, is it not? And you could have someone just as bold and clear on the word of God as John MacArthur take his place. They’ve got to be people out there who would fit the bill, even if they’re not a dime dozen.

[@stevehardwick7285]

All of the above mentioned "disorders" are grossly over diagnosed. There's a town near me where 3-4 kids came back from Iraq and went to see the same doctor and were given a PTSD diagnosis for a lifetime of "disability " checks. Some of them saw no action at all. They can go hunting, ATV ing, etc. but are incapable of working? The ADHD label has been given to almost any kid with behavior problems for the past 25 years.

[@michaels7325]

You kind of made johns point. Luke was a psychologist of sorts and he didnt treat with pills. And yes, the brain can be afflicted. Concussions, seizures, etc. Those require medicine and john wouldnt disagree. He's talking about things like ocd, adhd, and ptsd. They are being diagnosed at record levels recently and all treated with meds. And young people get a kick out of larping as a person with disabilities like that.

[@tonycostatorontoapologetic5307]

MacArthur said there is no such thing as PTSD, OCD, and ADHD. They are "noble lies". You believe that? Are you a mental health professional?

[@michaels7325]

@@tonycostatorontoapologetic5307 He also never said you shouldn't take insulin or blood pressure pills because he was talking about states of mind. Not illnesses like retardation or autism. If you asked him about all those organs you listed and if the pharmaceutical remedies should be taken he would agree. There is just so much that was inferred from an off the cuff answer in a q&a. I truly believe his main point is those three things have been incorrectly labeled as illnesses and should be classified as states of mind that can be treated outside of meds.

[@tonycostatorontoapologetic5307]

@@michaels7325 are you a mental health professional?

[@michaels7325]

@@tonycostatorontoapologetic5307 Nope. I'm not a professional driver either, nor am I chef, bor am I qualified to do basically everything else in the world depending on who you ask. Glad my opinions don't matter anymore even though I have ocd myself. Thanks for playing leftist games.

[@tonycostatorontoapologetic5307]

@michaels7325 strawman and ad hominem arguments never work well. MacArthur says OCD doesn't exist. I believe it does. Sorry to hear about your struggle. The research is plentiful. Btw, MacArthur said the same thing about depression..see Dr. Gavin Ortlund's review of MacArthur kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHupnqt9jtl4js0si=mnfWXQDSo6nlawdd

[@maryhirst9127]

I found John mcarthurs whole attitude and so called understanding absolutely infuriating. Always those who have never been there who profess to be the experts

[@Hutchie2112]

Shocking lack of comprehension shown by that man.

[@haxguy0]

and compassion...

[@lkae4]

And humility

[@marylouvegh4585]

I really think that pastor MacArthur is warning about taking drugs for certain diagnosis as they may do more harm than good especially for children. Many young people have committed suicide after taking psychiatric drugs to treat anxiety and depression. Natural medicine, diet and Christian counselling should be explored and considered. It's just a more cautious and safer approach based on some of the data.

[@tonycostatorontoapologetic5307]

He said PTSD, OCD, and ADHD don't exist and that they are "noble lies". That's irresponsible language.

[@HigherInfluence]

Didn’t you leave out some context. Wasn’t he quoting from a book. He maybe agreeing with the statements but I thought he was talking about a book as well.

[@ytube777-n2i]

How much time has he spent with people in a mental asylum? It's interesting he believes to know which mental illnesses are real and those which are just "grief".

[@AnabelaDaCruz]

I agree totally with Dr. John MacArthur . He has read books from a professor of 🎉psychiatry (Thomas Saacz). He is telling the truth.

[@Terabapu3156]

👍👍

[@dannycostello8325]

it just his opinion

[@jasonobrien1989]

He is right. The Bible is the medicine for a sick soul.

[@4jeffinseattle]

He is NOT right. Have you served your country in the military? My uncle fought in the Battle of the Bulge Under Gen. George Patton (look him up,or see movie with George Scott) my uncle shot dead a nazi soldier and checked him out and he was a 12 yo boy. My uncle experienced terrible nightmares and hit out on my aunt (had several bruises) This is PTSD for your information. Is John MacArthur some personality cult? Making millions exploiting Christians like you, like so many mega church pastors who treat the church as a business. We have sheepal who do NOT think and close off the world around them, and never read the Word of God. Our Savior cried, prayed, take this cup from me, and He sweated blood before going to the Cross. Are you and John McArthur questioning our Savior? Even The Prince of Preachers Charles Spurgeon suffered deep depression (look him up).

[@MrNobodylj]

Just so weird … usually he is on point but seems like overcorrection

[@maryhirst9127]

Disgraceful no love in this kind of talk