Another "Christian Counseling" Horror Story

Although this one could have been much worse:

Alex Jacobsen, 26, was suffering from mental exhaustion and anxiety. He hadn’t slept for days despite being in a faith-based treatment program. He felt hopeless and when he spotted a box knife he grabbed it and held it against his neck pressing harder as it cut through his skin.

This all happened 10 days after he stopped taking his medication, which was when he entered himself into the faith-based program, the Des Moines Register reports. He said he trusted his recovery to them and to God and he almost died from it.

They took away his meds and substituted Bible study. These are not, by the way, qualified medical professionals:

Jacobsen’s father said that he called Rev. Hanges to ask if his son could put a hold on starting the program so he could go to his scheduled evaluation for outpatient treatment at University of Iowa Hospitals. He also said he warned Rev. Hanges about the prescription drugs his son was taking and inquired about the pastor’s training. The pastor assured the father that his mentally ill son could make his own choices and would make the right decision. He also clarified that he is certified online as a faith-based Christian counselor by the International Institute of Faith-Based Counseling in Texas.

(Emphasis added.)

In other words he's not qualified as a therapist or counselor. If he were, he might have spotted the danger signs:

Medical professionals who treated him after the suicide attempt told the family that he could have died from suddenly halting the use of his medication. The Society for the Study of Addiction lists insomnia, anxiety, fatigue, psychosis and suicidal thoughts as symptoms of withdrawal. All of which Jacobsen had.

I've heard enough stories about gay teens consigned to this sort of torture, and winding up dead, that this is no real surprise. What's most appalling is that these outfits are not regulated -- in Iowa, at least, there are no state minimum requirements that they have to meet, and most other places they get a pass for being "religious organizations." As one of the commenters noted;

Yet the Governor of Iowa fully backs this system and refuses to require any sort of licensing or registration for these "clinics. Yet Iowa requires 18 months of study and licensing, with yearly continuing education to cut someone's hair.

I think it's about time that religious scam artists in this country got a little bit less of a free ride. Or at least was held to some sort of accountability for the damage they do.