The Role of the Clergy in Helping the Mentally Ill

To the Editor:

Re “Saving Minds Along With Souls,” by T. M. Luhrmann (Op-Ed, April 19):

While Ms. Luhrmann is correct that mental illness remains stigmatized in American society, the solution she endorses — that evangelical churches deliver mental health services — is wrong in so many ways.

First, mental illness, like heart disease and cancer, is a biological disorder. That doesn’t mean that treatment necessarily requires pharmacological intervention, but it must be based on conventional medical standards for quality care and delivered by qualified professionals, not volunteer members of a religious congregation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/28/opinion/the-role-of-the-clergy-in-helping-the-mentally-ill.html?emc=edit_tnt_20140427&nlid=67927627&tntemail0=y&_r=0