Mental Health for the Christian: Our Brain Chemistry

Our brains are different, those of us with bipolar disorder. This has been clearly demonstrated. You may feel dismayed by this, but I hope you will instead be relieved. Accepting this as our "reality" is an important step forward in dealing with our bipolar disorder.

How do we know that our brains are different? There have been many studies, but the following article (hot off the press!) is extremely important. It is a so-called "meta-analysis," or overview of the results from many studies in the recent literature. The bottom line is that cross-sectional neuroimaging shows that BPD is associated with structural abnormalities in the prefrontal and temporal cortex and nearby regions of the brain. That's a mouthful, but the resounding take-away is that our brains are different. (See "Mania-related effects on structural brain changes in bipolar disorder-a narrative review of the evidence," by Abe, Liberg, Klahn, Petrovic and Landen, in Molecular Psychiatry, published in May of 2023.)

There are big-time ramifications flowing out of this realization. First, we have an underlying explanation for our unwanted mental-emotional vicissitudes. (I am different because my brain is different!) Second, bipolar disorder really is an "illness" that is no fault of our own. Third, we should not be surprised that modern medications are able to address BPD by helping regulate the chemical imbalances in our brains. Finally, there should be no shame that we have to depend upon such medications for our wellbeing.

I want to address this last point in detail. Shame is one stark reality of any mental illness. But this is often exacerbated by the judgments of others, or certainly their misunderstandings of us and how our brains work (or don't). There is a double standard here. For example, most "normals" (my term for illness-free people) would have no problem giving medications to those with epilepsy. Yet at the same time there is often resistance to us BPD-ers being treated with medications. Why? Both diseases can be attributed to deficiencies in brain chemistry (and function). Incidentally, anti-seizure medications (so-called anticonvulsants) have been found to work as mood-stabilizers for BPD. Who knew?

Here is an interesting thought from the Bible. In that wonderful passage intertwining how husbands should love their wives and how Christ loves His bride, the church (Ephesians 5, verses 22-33) we read, "For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church..." It assumes that each of us nourishes and and cherishes our bodies. I would argue that this should be extended to our nourishing and cherishing of our brains. There are many ways to do this, including diet, exercise, sleep and so forth. But the next time you take your medications for BPD, think if them as part of nourishing and cherishing your brain.

So if your brain is different, don't flaunt it. And certainly don't deny it. Rather accept its reality. And work with your doctor to do something about it.

Blessings!

-The Christian Bipole