It’s bad enough for adults to be over-medicated and to look to the pill cabinet for some kind of deliverance, but there’s something even sadder, and even more ominous about the fact that we are now as a culture over-medicating our own children.

Recently Dr. Al Mohler responded to an article by Erica Komisar in the Wall Street Journal which addresses the problem of overmedicated children. His entire article is reprinted below my comments. He highlights what Komisar says is a major problem—way too many children are medicated.

Simply put: it is not wrong for a doctor to prescribe a child medicine. In fact, a doctor may have valid reasons to do so. As Christians, these types of medicines would fall under the general category of common grace. As a biblical counselor, I do not regularly suggest or oppose psychopharmaceutical drugs. Since biblical counselors are not medical doctors (nor do I play one on TV), the issue of medicine is outside my purview; it is an issue between doctor and patient. Every case is different and the ultimate decision regarding medication must flow out of a conversation between the parent, doctor, and child. I make no assumptions related to any individual child and his or her need for medication.

We can however receive a word of caution related to medication. Just as we would not perceive it to be sinful or wrong, at the same time, we also do not want medicine to be a substitute for good parenting with regular, meaningful conversations or spiritual discipleship and development. Therefore, do not take this article as a criticism of what you do or your neighbor does; instead, receive this as a general statement of warning related to the possibility of overmedicating children. We do not want to functionally practice what we would formally reject; that is, medicine actually changes the hearts of our children.

Medicine may provide certain kinds of relief when necessary; however, medicine does not help train, nurture, or disciple a child. We must never allow a drug in our minds to replace the importance of Christ-centered, Gospel-focused parenting or discipleship. As a close friend recently asked, Do psychotropic medications address heart issues?  Do they help a person change and grow out of sinful desires, thoughts, and emotions using biblical methods as outlined in God’s Word (i.e. identifying suffering or sin, confession of known sin, repentance, putting off manifestations of the old man, renewing one’s mind, putting on manifestations of the new man, seeking forgiveness from God and others, working toward restitution, etc.)? No, they do not.

Whereas spiritual growth and soul care used to be the treatment of choice, we must not think that a pill alone can fulfill that function. Dr. Mohler simply reminds us of this truth and challenges us to consider how we functionally view psychiatric drugs to treat depression and anxiety.