When Mental Health Goes Too Far with Matthew Loftus

How Does Therapy Culture Undermine True Healing?   Host Curtis Chang talks with physician and author Matthew Loftus about how therapeutic language can distort ordinary suffering, turn disagreement into "gaslighting," and leave people feeling less capable of changing their lives. They examine the overmedicalization of grief and anxiety, the rise of mental health culture in schools, and why churches risk losing their purpose when pastors start acting like therapists. **This is not an attack on therapy or psychiatric medication. It is a provocative conversation about when mental health care becomes a worldview—and whether our relentless focus on feeling better is actually making us sicker.   02:10 - Therapy Practice vs. Therapy Culture 03:52 - The Importance of Personal Experience 06:34 - The Three Elements of Therapy Culture 10:09 - The Problem with Focusing on Mental Health 13:22 - The Suggestive Power of Diagnosis 15:30 - A Christian Understanding of Suffering 17:57 - Finding Solace in the Midst of Suffering 21:40 - The Role of Medication in Mental Health 25:49 - Knowing When Therapy Becomes Unhelpful 28:30 - The Unique, Healing Functions of the Church  32:21 - How Parents Can Counter Therapy Culture in Schools 35:01 - A Final Word of Encouragement   To give to Good Faith: https://goodfaith.org/donate     Mentioned in This Episode: Matthew Loftus's Resisting Therapy Culture Curtis Chang's Anxiety Opportunity Kathryn Greene-McCreight's Darkness Is My Only Companion What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?     Further Reading: DSM5 and the Medicalization of Grief: Two Perspectives (article) Matter over mind: How mental health symptom presentations shape diagnostic outcomes Effectiveness of school-based mental health programs on mental health among adolescents     Scriptures: Romans 8:38–39 (ESV)   More From Matthew Loftus: Matthew's website Matthew's writing at Mere Orthodoxy Matthew's articles at Plough     Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.