Christians, what do you think of depression?

Question

If you have been depressed for several years and have prayed, been going to church and read the bible daily. There are a lot of things going on to make me depressed but a person can only stand so much of feeling down all the time.

Is taking anti-depressants wrong or immoral or weak?

Answer 1

Let me start by saying this.
insulin is a body chemical you need to live.
When you run out, is it a sin to get insulin injections for diabetes so you can continue to live?


So, I have been a Christian for many years, recently I ran out of a Chemical called Serotonin in my brain, it cannot be regenerated by the human body. So ..
Like insulin, it must be replaced somehow or that person (ME) will suffer from depression, no matter how many Christian meeting they attend.
No matter HOW OFTEN they read the Bible and apply its council.
Depression is a chemical imbalance, just like diabetes or any other body imbalance, Oh Thyroid, is another example.
God knows our imperfections, and forgives them, as long as we try as hard as we can to be Christians.

Answer 2

I went through about 3 years of very serious depression. If you're not currently talking to anyone regularly about your depression and what's going on in your life, please start to do that. There are so many factors involved in depression, but having someone to listen and support you makes all the difference in the world, whether that someone is a counselor, a pastor, a good friend, support group or whoever. I also think you should talk to a doctor about it, making sure that he or she is really knowledgable and not just handing out pills. You should be able to make a plan with the doctor and continually evaluate how the pills are helping you to improve your situation and how close you're getting to not needing them anymore if you find that's the right course for you. I do believe that God can help you out of this and encourage you to keep praying and looking for his will, but he also gave us other people and science to help us along and you should do what you need to do in order to get back to living a healthy and happy life.

Answer 3

If medication is prescribed by a licensed physician, there is nothing wrong with it. Depression is common among many people in many countries. It has nothing to do with religion. There is no crime in being depressed. The only crime is not doing something about it. Praying and being a good person will not cure everything.

Answer 4

I don't thnk that it is wrong to seek the help of doctors, but I DO believe that depression is a trick of the enemy. It is his way of keeping your mind off of God and if he can do that (even if you never DO anything sinful) he has won. His goal is to separate us from God and if he can do this by keeping our minds preoccupied with other things (work, children, activities) then he is just as happy as if you practiced any other abomination!

I know.....I have been there (depression) and it is easier said than done, but you have to get around some people who are like minded (but not judgmental) and allow God to do a new work in you and on your mind.

Answer 5

Depression is an illness. Anti-depressants are the instrument that God uses to heal you.

You have to be strong and patient. Keep praying and get closer to God. Just wait and He will help you on the time He decides.

He is with you in your depression. He watches over you every second. Just trust in Him.

Answer 6

As a Christian, I know that people have physical side as well as a spiritual side. These physical bodies greatly affect our thoughts and spirits. But equally important is that our thoughts and spirits affect our physical side. Effective treatment of SEVERE depression should include both drugs (legally prescribed by a competent doctor) and counseling. Even secular psychologists know this, see links.

Answer 7

Maybe looking at your question from another direction may give you a fresh perspective...

Every taken a pain reliever for a headache?

Every taken an anti-biotic to fight an infection (sinus,viral, etc.)in your body?

These are relatively benign chemicals compared to what is used to treat depression and depression-related disorders.

I sense that you wouldn't hesitate to pop aspirin if needed but you feel shame and a stigma when it comes to your mental health... the need to use very powerful stuff.

Just remember... aspirin has had just as much research as any drug... and they are still finding out its benefits...

The point? If you truly have done what you have said you done in regards to prayer and such, then you know wherein lies the solution...

One of the favorite things of the Father is placing people in your path to assist you on your walk... for you, it could be a counselor, a psychiatrist, or even time in a mental health facility... tools that God puts at their disposal to help them help you are compassion, education and yes, great drugs!

Press into the Father... with quiet obedience, petition Him and ask Him what path that He wants you to take...

It may not be a health professional, but a support group with a godly, healthy approach to your particular personal issues.

Nevertheless, I agree with those who say the Enemy is whispering in your ear... his biggest accomplishment (and goal) is to seperate you from the Father. And as you seek help (per the Father's direction), the enemy will throw everything he can at you as you pull yourself out of your depression.

As so far as downtime, an unexpected divorce and loss of a great job put me in a depressive state that even lingers to this day. It has benefitted me because it has been a catalyst of change in regards to my relationship with God. But... but... because I know peace and happiness is not a 'given' when I wake up every morning, I have to force myself, to decide I will be happy... every day...

Know that you're not alone... manage your depression, don't let it manage you... be wary, but don't be intimidated by new drugs on the horizon, be informed.

As long as you put Him first, He will give you your heart's desires...

Answer 8

It's a common problem associated with all of today's fast paced pressures and usually is repaired by talking out your problems with an unbiased mediator and for a little while maybe taking medication to help you relax until you can figure out what is making you feel so down on yourself. Very common and very commonly easily repaired. GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS!!!

Answer 9

A christian has a better chance of avoiding suicide. When all your people cant be trusted you can only trust god. Just keep your prayers simple so you will understand the answer. Not trust in god. He will answer any simple question for sure. Sending orders to god is not too cool.

Answer 10

Depression—Overwhelming Sadness

Most of us know what it is like to experience a wave of sadness. In time—perhaps in just a matter of hours or days—the feeling subsides. Clinical depression, however, is far more serious. In what way? “Those of us who are not depressed know that the rides our emotions take us on eventually end,” explains Dr. Mitch Golant, “but the depressed individual experiences the ups and downs, twists and turns of his feelings as if on a runaway train without a clear sense of how or when—or even if—he can ever get off.”

Clinical depression can take many forms. Some people, for example, have what is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which manifests itself during a particular time of year—usually winter. “People with SAD report that their depressions worsen the farther north they live and the more overcast the weather,” says a book published by the People’s Medical Society. “While SAD has been linked mainly to dark winter days, in some cases it’s been associated with dark indoor work spaces, unseasonable cloudy spells and vision difficulties.”

What causes clinical depression? The answer is not clear. While in some cases there seems to be a genetic link, in most instances life experiences appear to play an important role. It has also been noted that it is diagnosed in twice as many women as men. But this does not mean that men are unaffected. On the contrary, it is estimated that between 5 and 12 percent of men will become clinically depressed at some point in life.

When this type of depression strikes, it is all-pervasive and affects virtually every aspect of one’s life. It “shakes you to the core,” says a sufferer named Sheila, “corroding your confidence, self-esteem, your ability to think straight and make decisions, and then when it reaches deep enough, it gives a few hard squeezes just to see if you can hold on.”

There are times when a sufferer can gain much relief by talking out his or her feelings with an empathetic listener. (Job 10:1) Even so, it must be acknowledged that when biochemical factors are involved, depression cannot simply be willed away with a positive outlook. Really, in such a case, the dark moods of this illness are beyond the sufferer’s control. Furthermore, the sufferer may be as baffled by the condition as family members and friends are.

Consider Paula, a Christian who endured crippling episodes of intense sadness before her depression was diagnosed. “Sometimes after Christian meetings,” she says, “I would rush out to my car and weep, for no reason at all. I just had this overwhelming sense of loneliness and pain. Although all the evidence showed that I had many friends who cared for me, I was blind to it.”

Something similar happened to Ellen, whose depression required that she be hospitalized. “I have two sons, two lovely daughters-in-law, and a husband—all of whom I know love me very much,” she says. Logic, it seems, would tell Ellen that life is good and that she is precious to her family. But on the battlefield of depression, dark thoughts—no matter how irrational—can overwhelm the sufferer.

Not to be overlooked is the significant impact that one person’s depression can have on the rest of the family. “When someone you love is depressed,” writes Dr. Golant, “you may live with a chronic sense of uncertainty, never really knowing when your loved one will recover from a depressive episode or fall into a new one. You can feel profound loss—even grief and anger—that life has deviated, maybe permanently, from the norm.”

Often, children can detect a parent’s depression. “A depressed mother’s child becomes highly attuned to his mother’s emotional states, carefully observing every nuance and change,” writes Dr. Golant. Dr. Carol Watkins notes that children of a depressed parent are “more likely to have behavioral problems, learning difficulties, and peer problems. They are more likely to become depressed themselves.”

Comfort From God’s Word

The Bible is a strengthening aid for many who suffer from “disquieting thoughts.” (Psalm 94:17-19, 22) Cherie, for example, found Psalm 72:12, 13 to be particularly encouraging. There, the psalmist states about God’s appointed King, Jesus Christ: “He will deliver the poor one crying for help, also the afflicted one and whoever has no helper. He will feel sorry for the lowly one and the poor one, and the souls of the poor ones he will save.” Cherie was also encouraged by the words of the apostle Paul recorded at Romans 8:38, 39: “I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love.”