A Personal View on How to Deal with Depression
Diane Hensley
I am going to express some of my feelings to help any in truth who may be dealing with depression. So many people have no idea what depression means, much less how to help someone in that condition. Maybe it is something you experience yourself, but have no idea where to turn. Perhaps this article will help some needing guidance in this area."I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would be not one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die, or be better it appears to me."The person uttering these words gave freedom to many in America. Incredibly, this very man could not free himself from these depressive thoughts. This person was none other than Abraham Lincoln, the United States President who ended slavery in his country. These words center around hopelessness. An emotion unbelievable for a man like Abraham Lincoln to say, don't you think? President of the United States?I would like to tell you a little about depression, because being depressed can effect your entire life, spiritual walk included. I know how depression affects people because I have this disease. There are times in my life when all is dark; no light at all, and no light in view. Forget trying to tell me something. I will never remember it. Forget about handing me something to put away for safekeeping, I will never remember where I put it. Depression affects me these ways.There are many, many times when reading my Bible and praying are completely out of the question. I open my Bible and have no idea what I just read. I get on my knees, and all I can do is cry. Friends, this does not last for just one day, one week, or even one month. This has been going on in my life for over 20 years.What keeps me in the meeting? Only the staying power of God keeps me there. I know the feeling of His presence, His leading and His guidance in my life. He never fails me. It is quite an experience within itself. In saying this, please know there are days when even I cannot feel God's Spirit within me. I think those are the days I am closest to God's heart. Many years I thought I was just some free, unwanted spirit floating around in a lost space. Today I look back and see the workings of God leading and guiding me even in my darkest times.I know many have lost their faith because of depression. In this state they just think going to meeting is no longer important, nor is something as simple as getting out of bed on most days.I believe David was very depressed. He cried to God so many times. I love reading about David's life because I feel how desperate he became in his darkest hour. But, he never gave up on God's power to save him from himself, from his sin, from his base desires. David trusted God, even when he barely uttered words in prayer.I know many who have quit going to meetings because of depression. They lose all desire to pray, read their Bible, or even do simple things like get out of bed in the morning. When any or all of these symptoms occur, how does one stay inside God's way?Because of my depression, I have failed and stumbled many, many times. I stay in this way because God's love will not let me go.Imagine going to meeting or going to a dinner with Theodore Roosevelt, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, or even President Lincoln. The average person such as you or I might feel a bit out of place in their company. However, each and every one suffered from depression and each and every one contributed greatly to our society. Their illness served as a stepping stone in their respective areas of achievement. Perhaps Roosevelt loved going outside to escape the darkness he felt within. As United States President he created conservation of national parks and forests. Poe wrote some of the best classic literature dealing with dark, scary ideas. His The Tell Tale Heart, short story and poem, The Raven reflect some thoughts perhaps brought on because of his depression. Mark Twain, alias Samuel Clemens, wrote the classic story of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Perhaps he did this to escape the self-hatred he felt as a man and so he reminisced about simpler times, a boy on the run, wild and free.Now, imagine going to meeting and I sit next to you. In my testimony I talk about how thankful I am for God's saving power. That is all I can bring myself to say. Maybe I can only say those words because I have not been able to read, pray or meditate prior to Sunday's gathering. God knows of my struggles and he knows the person sitting next to me may experience the same illness. That is why it is so important for us to understand depression.It is common for people to speak of how "depressed" they are. However, the occasional sadness everyone feels due to life's disappointments is very different from the serious illness caused by a brain disorder. Depression profoundly impairs the ability to function in everyday situations by affecting moods, thoughts, behaviors, and physical well-being.For me this illness brings feelings of worthlessness, failure and fatigue. Depression causes me to feel disconnected from people in my life, even friends and family who care about me. Depression makes me stay in bed all day some days. I start thinking life will never get better and I become hopeless and helpless.Even though this disease brings deep feelings of loneliness, I am one of about 17 million others affected by it. According to the American Institute of Mental Health, depression strikes millions of American adults each year - more than cancer, AIDS, or coronary heart disease. An estimated 15 percent of chronic depression cases end in suicide. Women are twice as likely as men to be affected. Depression is a biochemical disease and is not caused by bad parenting or other outside factors.Therefore, when encountering a brother or sister with this disease, please remember it is an illness. Count it a blessing when he or she may reveal the source of his or her illness to you. One good thing about this illness is it is treatable. Many depressed people get relief from prescribed antidepressants. These medications are more accepted now.When I was first diagnosed with depression, many looked down on me for taking these drugs. So often my brothers and sisters found themselves saying I should "just trust God" for help. That statement did not cure my depression. It did make me wonder why I did not have enough trust in God so as to get a miracle cure as such from Him. I learned not to listen to well-intended people. I learned to listen to my doctor and other health professionals. And, I decided life is too short to stay miserable all the time. I found help and I grabbed it.I was diagnosed with one of three types of depression. I have bipolar disease, otherwise known as manic depression. This means I go through cycles of major depression and the highest of highs found in mania. My disease affects one percent of the population. I will describe major depression in the next paragraph. Mania refers to irritability, an increased mood elevation with a decreased need for sleep, an exaggerated belief in one's own abilities, excessive talking, and impulsive / dangerous behaviors.Major depression is another type of this illness. This depression tends to be chronic and reoccurs. Major depression affects 15 percent of the population. This illness can effect its victims so they cannot do simple things like eat, sleep, or get out of bed.The third type of depression is called dysthymia. This illness is characterized by milder, persistent symptoms that may last for years. It may not affect everyday tasks, like it's companion illnesses of major depression and bipolar disease. Dysthymia simply disconnects the affected person from feeling whole and vital. They seldom function at full capacity. Approximately 10 million Americans suffer from the disease each year.Medical study after study suggests biochemical and genetic links to the cause of this disease. Depressed people show imbalances of "neurotransmitters" within the brain. Neurotransmitters, like serotonin and nonepinephrine, are chemicals responsible for transporting information about such things as feelings, hunger, and pain to the proper brain centers. Low levels of these transmitters cause depression.Women tend to produce lower levels of serotonin. This is why they are affected by this disease much more than their male counterparts. Family histories show a reoccurrence of depression from generation to generation, especially in those units where alcoholism prevails.Sometimes, however, environmental factors can add to the symptoms of this illness. When combined with the natural predisposition to depression, as such, vulnerable individuals may incur more illness when exposed to relationship problems, financial difficulties, death of loved ones, or chronic medical diseases.Because depression affects so many, I have posted the following symptoms found in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, that may help you detect this illness in yourself or others. They are:depressed mood
loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities
changes in appetite or weight
disturbed sleep
slowed or restless movements
fatigue, loss of energy
feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
trouble in thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
[Editor's Note: Because other illnesses such as thyroid disease and some forms of heart disease may mimic these symptoms we suggest a medical doctor's evaluation before concluding depression as a disease within yourself or those you know.]
If someone you know is depressed here are a few suggestions as to how to help them:Encourage the person to make an appointment with a doctor, or make the appointment yourself and take the person to it encourage the person to stick to the prescribed treatment plan, including taking prescribed medications if you notice no improvement of the illness in the affected person, encourage seeking of a different treatment...do not give up on the person give emotional support by listening and offering hope and simple suggestions invite the person to join you in activities you know he or she liked before becoming depressed and enjoy whatever he or she succeeds in doing do not accuse the person of faking illness or tell them to "snap out of it" take ALL comments about suicide, no matter how flippant, SERIOUSLY and seek professional help IMMEDIATELY It is our duty as brothers and sisters in the Lord to care for even the weakest in the fold. We need one another and we need to be there for each other. Let us continue encouraging one another in the Lord by recognizing this disease and helping those with it enjoy a fulfilled life in God.