John MacArthur’s comments on mental health are pastorally disastrous

The evangelical preacher has told a conference that recognised medical conditions such as PTSD and OCD don’t exist. It’s a depressing example of pastors speaking with absolute authority on things they know little about, says Sophie Killingley

John MacArthur has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

During a recent interview, the American evangelical pastor, denied the existence of a myriad of health issues. “There’s no such thing as PTSD, OCD or ADHD. Those are noble lies to basically give the excuse in the end of the day to medicate people.”

He explained that people who claim these conditions are just poorly managing their emotions and are being taken advantage of by so-called “Big Pharma”.

Despite having no medical background, or training in psychology or psychotherapy, he confidently diagnosed PTSD “as grief [which is] part of life”, and added that adults receiving medication for PTSD are likely to end up “in LA, homeless on the sidewalk”.