Depression

[Thankful]

The following are words copied from a half page ad in the Baptist Messenger of Oklahoma, February 13, 2003:


An estimated 33% of Southern Baptist staff and clergy suffer from depression.

Because of your gifts through the Cooperative Program... the (name), along with 153 other Oklahoma ministers and their families, received the counseling they needed to work through the challenges their family faced.

The Cooperative Program...sharing the Gospel throughout Oklahoma. North America and the uttermost parts of the Earth.

 

[Deacon]

Those in leadership (pastors in particular) hold a unique position that places them in situations that can be very stressful. Pastors are pulled between performing God’s service, raising family, counseling members (and others), running the church “business”, and the multitude of other jobs that are listed as other duties in small print in their job description. Given such pressures it’s a wonder that we don’t have a greater fall out among Pastors than we do. Pray for your pastor!

Depression is a problem for Christians as much as it is in the general population. There are various strategies that can be learned to deal with the problem. I personally have to remain alert for signs that I’m becoming melancholy and depressed. Counseling helps to give people ideas to battle the problem. Don’t look on it as a weakness that shouldn’t be confronted!

 

[Rick Sr.]

Amen Deacon: I was also a depressed christian. Mine was caused by diabetes. This caused an imbalance in my brain, which in turn caused the depression. Through many prayers and very good treatment by the doctors in my area, I have recovered. Like you Deacon, I must be on guard all the time. Satan knows this and will use it against you. I pray that each one out there that has this problem, will receive the care I did. I also pray that Jesus will help you through it. Always remember "If God leads me to it, He will lead me through it". Perservere. Rick Sr.

 

[Lorelei]

Originally posted by Thankful:
An estimated 33% of Southern Baptist staff and clergy suffer from depression.

This should read that an estimated 33% of staff and clergy aren't trusting in the God that they profess.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. The Holy Spirit sent from God gives you joy, not only in good times, but in all times and in all things. No physical ailment can overcome or overpower the Holy Spirit. To suggest that it can, gives that ailment more power than the power of God.

We need to focus on Christ and not how we feel. Only keeping our minds on Him can we overcome, but we can overcome if we do just that.

Phil 4:8-9
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
NIV

~Lorelei

 

[Thankful]

Amen, Deacon and Rick Sr. Depression is a treatable illness. I am praying for my pastor and your pastor and you.

I am encouraged by the fact that Southern Baptists recognize the need for recognition and treatment of depression.

Thank you Deacon and Rick, you each exemplify

2 Cornithians 1:3-4 (NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

 

[donnA]

Originally posted by Lorelei:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Thankful:
An estimated 33% of Southern Baptist staff and clergy suffer from depression.

This should read that an estimated 33% of staff and clergy aren't trusting in the God that they profess.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. The Holy Spirit sent from God gives you joy, not only in good times, but in all times and in all things. No physical ailment can overcome or overpower the Holy Spirit. To suggest that it can, gives that ailment more power than the power of God.

We need to focus on Christ and not how we feel. Only keeping our minds on Him can we overcome, but we can overcome if we do just that.

Phil 4:8-9
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
NIV

~Lorelei </font>[/QUOTE]Thats like saying that people with cancer, high blood pressure, diabettes aren't trusting God. Come off it, christians get sick just like anyone else, and theres nothing in the bible that says otherwise. Depression is not a mood, it is an imballance in the brain. Which makes it a sickness, just like anyother sickness. The feeling(mood) of depression is a symptom of the chemical imballance in the brain. You can have the checmical depression and still have the joy from knowing Jesus. Thast like saying if you aren't happy and joyful today you aren't trusting God. Nope, joy is much more then that.

 

[Lorelei]

Originally posted by kate B...007:
Come off it, christians get sick just like anyone else, and theres nothing in the bible that says otherwise. Depression is not a mood, it is an imballance in the brain. Which makes it a sickness, just like anyother sickness.

The fruit of the Spirit does not include good health, it does include joy. The medical profession also says that the craving for alcohol is caused by a chemical imbalance. Does that excuse the alcoholic according to the word of God?

Is there evidence that the imbalance causes the depression or is it possible the depression caused the imbalance?

Did God not offer us peace? Did not Jesus promise us rest? If these promises were only made to healthy people, then that isn't fair for the millions of people who didn't have a pill to cure their depression in centuries past.

Originally posted by kate B...007:
You can have the checmical depression and still have the joy from knowing Jesus. Thast like saying if you aren't happy and joyful today you aren't trusting God. Nope, joy is much more then that.

You can't live in a state of joyful depression and a "depressed christian" is an oxymoron. The joy from the Holy Spirit is not only much deeper, it is more powerful than you give it credit for.

~Lorelei

 

[Deacon]

God chooses to humble us in a variety of ways. Sometimes just to remind us that we can’t stand on our own. Paul relates to us about times that were not so joyful in his life:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. 2 Cor. 1:3-11 (ESV)

We also need to remember that we are fighting a spiritual battle. At times there will be defeats or setbacks. The enemy will exploit us in anyway he can.

Concerning Christians, Peter writes:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:8-11 (ESV)

Depression is not a “mind over matter” thing. A counselor can direct a person battling depression by suggesting strategies to deal with the problem. Sometimes its simple; the person is not dealing with sin in their life. Other times it’s much more complex. In any case knowing that it is an “oxymoron” for a Christian to be depressed doesn't change the fact that it happens. It only makes it more important that we change that situation.

 

[donnA]

The fruit of the Spirit does not include good health, it does include joy.

Like I said, depression is more then the mood your in, you can suffer from the chemical imballance and have depression and still have the joy of the Lord, nothing over powers Him, either your chirsitan or not.

Is there evidence that the imbalance causes the depression or is it possible the depression caused the imbalance?

As you may know medical science does not know everything there is to know about the brain, such as the casue of migraine headaches. Would you then suggest migraine headaches either do not exsist or they are casued by sin, or that the person is not living with God? For a great many years people did not believe PMS exsisted either,and that crampoing pain was just in your mind, therefore if you ever cramp your are in sin. Fact is that you can not prove anything.

Did God not offer us peace? Did not Jesus promise us rest? If these promises were only made to healthy people, then that isn't fair for the millions of people who didn't have a pill to cure their depression in centuries past.

Once again you are not address the actual depression but the symptoms. Most people misunderstand depression and believe it is whatever mood you are in today, like being happy, sad, mad. But it is not. You can not blame sickness on the lack of God in a persons life.
A pill does not 'cure' depression. If you knew as much as you think you do you'd know that.
So you want to talk about wether or not God is fair? Then to play your game, what about people who have died from any disease in the past that is now curable? Was He unfair to them? You explain. It's your game.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Depression has nothing to do with "not trusting God". I am startled that anyone would think that.

Should we begin to go through Bible characters that "suffered" from clinical depression. Certainly there may be spiritual roots, but to categorize it as simply not enough faith is patently simplistic.

David
Moses
Samson
Elijah
Jonah
Peter
Bob

 

[Lorelei]

Kate,

It's not a game. I am looking at the word of God and I don't see any way that depression can effect a Christian who is walking in the Spirit and trusting in God.

Depression: A psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, anhedonia, feelings of extreme sadness, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death. Also called clinical depression.

Joy: Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness

Peace: Inner contentment; serenity

The definition of clinical depression can not co-exist with joy and peace (both part of the fruit of the Spirit), for they are extreme opposites.

It's not an illness, it's a condition of man that only God can cure.

~Lorelei

 

[donnA]

Been doing some research of what medical science does say.

Doctors are learning a lot about depression. Depression is not just a matter of attitude. Depression can be helped, but it isn't something you can "snap out of" just by trying hard enough any more than a diabetic person can make blood sugar normal just by trying hard enough. Diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar is out of balance -- and depression is a disease in which certain chemicals in the brain (especially a chemical called serotonin) are out of balance. Because of this imbalance, people see the world through unrealistically gloomy glasses. Sometimes they even know that they are unrealistically gloomy, but they literally cannot help themselves. The chemical imbalance is in the way.

Some people are born with this imbalance -- it is genetic. Their parents and grandparents had it, and many family members have been depressed. Sometimes it is caused by severe trauma in childhood. Childhood sexual abuse, frequent beatings, severe illness or starvation are just some of the more dramatic causes. Other traumas are more subtle, but just as real.

Whatever the trigger, it is important to remember that the trigger -- the bad event -- is not the cause. The depression is caused by the chemical imbalance -- which has been present for decades.

The imbalance of neurotransmitters that can contribute to stress illness can cause a long list of symptoms. Fortunately, medicines invented to treat those who feel depressed also work very well for chemical imbalance in areas of the nervous system that produce related symptoms of fatigue, difficulty sleeping and others discussed on the Chemical Imbalance page. Even better, they are not tranquilizers, they are not addictive and they don't create unwanted personality changes..............

.........There are billions of neurons in the brain which interact with each other, electrically and chemically to produce cognitive, affective and behavioral capacities. Neurotransmitters, which are considered the chemical messengers, bridge the gap between the nerves and carry messages to the receiving receptor sites and neurons. Instructions are then carried out depending on the specific neurotransmitter and where it is released and utilized in the brain. The instruction can be either to continue the electrical impulse, which is called an excitatory response or to slow the impulse down, which is called an inhibitory response. The neurotransmitters; norepinephrine, dopamine, GABA, and serotonin are involved in the regulation of mood, cognition and sensory experiences (Gitlin, 1990). Because this process is complicated and has been perfectly fine tuned, any dysregulation in the way the neurons communicate, can lead to changes in mood, affect, thinking and the ability to function.

SEROTONIN, NORADRENALIN, and DOPAMINE. These are the brain chemicals that begin to malfunction

Post-natal depression
Sometimes called the 'baby blues' post-natal depression affects about half of all mothers during the first year after their child's birth.

I guess a mother like this is in sin and not focused on God.

 

[Lorelei]

Dr. Bob,

If you would like to discuss "Biblical Clinical Depression" maybe you could start by showing me how each of these people were "cured."

What was their solution to getting out of depression or did they even ever recover?

~Lorelei

 

[donnA]

I at least went to the facts, not personal flawed opinion.
So what fruit of the spirit is your dislike is ill people come from? Sounds real loveing from here.
NOT!

And I'd like your answer to Dr. Bob, or were you not aware of the biblical people who also had depression?

 

[Lorelei]

For the record, I never said that depression was a result of sin. I never stated that if you are depressed you are "in sin."

I merely pointed out that to have a clear mind, we must focus on Christ.

~Lorelei

 

[Sherrie]

So then according to you, a retarded person cannot have a right relationship with God and be retarded either? Or a women with palsey? Or a woman with cancer? Or someone with heart disease? Or someone with Psoriasis? This is a sick, sad, prejudice topic. Now you are telling God what kinds of people He can have relationships with.

All I can do is shake my head in total disbelief that anyone could think because someone is depressed, they cannot have a relationship with God.

Sherrie

 

[Lorelei]

Kate,

I will await Dr. Bob's answers. In the meantime, instead of quoting secular doctors would you care to share some scripture with me that says the Holy Spirit can not overpower depression?

~Lorelei

 

[Lorelei]

Sherrie,

Please quote where I even suggested such a thing.

~Lorelei

 

[donnA]

I found that depression is also realted to hormonal imballance, to pregnancy and menopause. Are these women sinning? According to your theory they are. HBow about depression from the death of a loved one? Have you never been unhappy when someone died? Never lacked joy at the death?
Are these things sin?

Not all modern depression is necessarily adaptive, of course. Depression consequent to hypothyroidism, for example, is clearly pathological. Also, even if some depression is strongly disadvantageous in modern conditions, the effect of negative selection on prevalence will not be apparent for many generations.

Sin?

data from a study describing prevalence and predictors of depression in older premenopausal women.

Sin?
According to you all these people are in sin and do not have a relationship with God, they have somehow over powered God and rejected His joy, all becasue they are sick.
Prephaps when your sick or you children are sick you are all in sin, after all God did not create sickness, we are not supose to be sick ever, we were created perfect, therefore when your child gets another cold, he is in sin.
According to your theory.

 

[Rev. Joshua]

The Scriptures clearly indicate that the power of God can overcome leprosy, crippled limbs, and even death. We can learn two things from this: God can cure any illness and God does not cure every illness.

The fact that God has not cured someone's depression is no more of an indicator that they are out of favor with God than the fact that God has not cured someone else's diabetes.

Joshua