in the christian circles. Everybody has an opinion on how they think about depression. I find that if you understand it you have likely had it at some point in your life or are close to someone who has. There are many people who frankly don’t understand it and I find in christian circles there can be great misconceptions about depression and its causes. Many christians will say that if you have enough faith then God will heal you. Some say depression is a sign of unconfessed sin, unresolved anger or forgiveness (I in fact believe this can be the case in certain situations). Others say that you are not walking with God if you have depression. I believe that unless you have gone through it yourself you cannot understand depression or how it effects a person. It can look different in different people. It isn’t something an outsider can necessarily see, like a broken leg. Many people walk around with depression and others never know they have it. It can be a completely hidden disease/syndrome, what ever you want to call it. It certainly isn’t talked about.
Frankly I think it should be talked about. I think it can be helpful to many people if it were. If were were open and transparent, we can receive help from our brothers and sister in Christ. I think it is important to encourage each other and share how we may have gone through similar circumstances. This is my first installment of my depression and how it has affected me and those around me.
Susan
Susan,
I’m glad you are being able to share what you have gone/are going through. I think that goes a long way toward healing, and that many others will find strenth and encouragement from your journey. Bless you my friend. Rebeca
i happen to know several people who suffered/suffer from depression. Both are serious, devout Christians.
I to find it harmful when Christians act like other Christians are just needing to be healed, therefore they don’t need to do anything but pray. I strongly disagree.
There are a lot of ways to treat depression and what works for someone might not work for someone else.
there should be no condemnation if someone chooses medication. (I know someone who while off his meds…..is…..well, bad. But he’s an amazing Christian man)
Would it be worth his marriage and family? To suffer and be completely out of control and get a divorce or lose his wifes respect? NO!
I had someone tell me that I should be doing all sorts of different things with my daughter who has mild cerebral palsy. Like, pray for her HEALING. Ummmm. Whatever. It’s just a fact of life and it isn’t going away. It has nothing to do with my faith. It’s just what it is.
I’ll be looking forward to your posts!
So brave! I’m glad you’re talking about this and KNOW it will help others.
My hubz has dealt with depression all of his life but wasn’t diagnosed until a few years ago. It was a really dark time during the first half of our marriage, trying to deal with becoming one, starting a family, and just, well, life. We figured we didn’t have enough faith, that meds would be the wrong thing to do, and that “he just needed to change his attitude”. What a wild ride. He’s now on meds and he’s a new man. It was a humbling experience and I felt so helpless as the spouse but I’m so glad to see him out of that torment and living productively.
Gayle
Ahhh…a challenging topic for many people to even mention! But you are absolutely right. I know I was a little more judgemental about it until I experienced it myself. It was very very scary and very surreal. I am very blessed that it was a short-lived experience for me– but it was long enough!
You are very brave to share about this, Susan. I know you will be an encouragement to everyone. Once I started talking to others a little about my own experience, it was nice to know that I wasn’t the only one, that there is HOPE, and that I’m not crazy! (well, most of the time anyway).
Love,
Marsha
I definatly think that depression is a REAL thing. I know that I have dealt with a bit of it recently. I will keep you and your family in prayer as you go through all of this. One thing I do know, is that trusting in the Lord is the only way one can make it through difficult times, and you are trusting in Him! You can’t go wrong there!
Love,
Ali
Hm. This IS a tough one! The hardest thing is that you can’t just do bloodwork do determine whether there is a legitimate physical problem, and there aren’t any objective tests to prove anything. So people will always debate the reality and legitimacy of it.
I’ve been on both sides of it myself, and I’ve come to the opinion that there is almost always a spiritual connection. My mother overcame her deep depression through studying the book of Galatians, understanding its truths, and applying them. In the years that followed, the depression returned when she stopped applying those principles.
I don’t disagree with you when you say that we ought to be more open and talk about it more, but in my experience, I’ve known some Christian women who were very open about their depression and adamantly defending their “need” for medication and weren’t really willing to even consider that anything else might help or than any other course of action may have been taken. So how much of a conversation can there really be when their minds are already made up and they’re on a crusade to defend their actions? I’m not sure such openness & transparency is edifying.
I do look forward to reading of your experience!
Blessings,
Angel
Looking out is like looking in right now…hoping this will pass soon for me!
I think you’re right on about transparency and openness. As the Body of Christ and as brothers and sisters we should be able to share our lives with each other so that we are able to bear one another’s burdens and help build each other up! How can we do that if we don’t even know what is going on in each others’ lives? I also agree that there shouldn’t be condemnation. If there’s no condemnation in Christ, why should there be in His church? We ALL have issues and need to be able to offer God’s love and brotherly (sisterly?) love in the midst.
I’m so glad the Lord has touched your heart during your absence from blogging and I look forward to reading more about what He has shown you!
Blessings,
Heather
Thanks for being willing to share, Susan. I do not agree with the commentor who said there is always a spiritual connection. Always is a very big word. I suffered from depression for many years, and always felt accused, and felt like I was a failure as a Christian. No matter how much I prayed, no matter how much I cried out to the Lord, I was still depressed. Not always about anything in particular–and yet about everything in particular! It was not until a few years ago when I started taking natural hormones (herbs) that my depression lifted. It took a few weeks and adding and changing a few things, working with an herbalist, but for the first time in my life, I felt like a complete human. My BODY, not my spirit, was lacking. There were hormone deficiences that the Lord used herbs to “heal”. I did take medicine at one point in my life, but found that, regardless of what drs. tell you, they do become addictive. I needed higher and higher doses, and still didn’t feel right. They were not what my body needed. Everyone tends to blame everything on hormones, but the fact is, they are to blame for many things, and those of most of us are miserable messed up. I continue to pray for you during this journey, and pray you find the right answers for you.
Letitia
I have suffered depression myself. In my case, it turned out to be a symptom of undiagnosed hypoglycemia, but I really struggled with feeling that if I was depressed that meant I was not trusting God. It is a terrible feeling.
I understand how hard that can be, but thankfully, my husband and my friends helped me through it and prayed for me when I could not pray for myself.