UNDERSTANDING & DEALING WITH DEPRESSION

Greg Swenson, Ph.D.

  Depression is not a single, simple entity. It is the culmination of circumstances, personality styles, mental perspectives, emotions, experiences, and relationships. Just as there are many different roads to alcoholism, there are varying routes to the common experience of depression. Depression is important because it becomes a handicap, interfering with the quality of a person's life, how they are able to fulfill the purpose for which God made them, as well as the nature of their relationship with God itself.

  Our emotions are a significant part of our self. They enrich our lives, but like our body and spirit, our emotional state can become impaired. Many people can relate to this experience. Most adults have been depressed at some point in their lives. For some, the condition has been a part of their life for so long that it becomes "normal" for them. The emotional component of depression may simply be a prolonged absence of pleasurable feelings; or a preponderance of anger, grief, sadness, futility, or hopelessness. In addition to emotional disturbance, depression can result in loss of interest in previously important activities; changes in appetite, sleep, and energy; reduced concentration; difficulty making decisions; and lowered self-esteem. The result is that work, family, social life, and spiritual life is affected. In extreme cases, the futility and hopelessness can lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. When a person's daily life is marked by intense emotional pain, almost anything else seems preferable.

  There are some false assumptions frequently found among Christians who suffer from depression that hinder them from finding help. One assumption is that emotions are not really important. They feel ashamed to admit that the way they feel has become such a problem. Many are apologetic about their problem, if they are able to admit to it at all. This assumption seems parallel to the belief that "big boys don't cry": "Real Christians don't get depressed." In fact, some rather prominent biblical personalities showed evidence of depression. Consider Moses, Elijah, Job, and David. Martin Luther is said to have struggled with depression on a regular basis. Freedom from depression does not appear to be correlated with commitment to God. Depression is a hazard of being human and living in a world fraught with evil, natural consequences, and experiences that separate us from God. Complete immunity to depression would imply that we can somehow separate ourselves from our emotions, something that Jesus himself didn't do. He wept, was angry, and showed compassion and pain. God the Father is frequently described as an emotional being as well. There are numerous biblical references to and expressions of emotional struggle: i.e. Ps. 6:6-7, Ps. 55:4-8, Ps. 131, Ps. 69:1-3, Eccl.1, Mt. 14:33, Eph. 4:26. Emotions do not go away if ignored. Recognizing that they are a powerful and integral part of our self is the first step toward correcting the excesses and unbalanced emotions found in depression.

  Where does depression come from? Frequently, it stems from thought patterns, in particular, unrealistic expectations. Some people strive for a level of control and order in their lives that is not possible in the real world. Hence, they live with repeated frustration and disappointment. Others are excessively "tuned" to their own performance. Inevitable fluctuations in success cause constant self-critical evaluations. Consequently, a person who objectively appears ninety percent successful may focus instead on the ten percent failure. He or she sees only what the mind spotlights.

  Depression can also result from mental/emotional overload. A person may assume excessive responsibility, thus collecting the stress, disappointment, failures, and frustrations of an entire family. Sometimes certain events, or series of events, cause an accumulation of emotions that can't be processed. It is not uncommon for depression to follow childbirth, marriage, job changes, or geographical moves.

  A specific kind of emotional overload is found in loss and grief experiences. They create a void that is painful in itself, but also requires adjustments which some are better prepared to make than others. Losses of friendships, death, divorce, or children leaving home are frequent depressive stimuli.

  A subtler source of depression is found in people whose lives do not include sources of pleasure. While a steady diet of "good times" is unrealistic, the joys that most of us experience through family, friends, activities, and God's physical creation, indicate that the capacity to experience pleasure is important. Achievement oriented people may see life as a series of tasks to be accomplished: a grade to obtain, children to raise, or money to be made. Even ministry can become oppressive when we focus exclusively on results and fail to find enjoyment in the process.

  In addition to thought patterns, emotional overload, loss, and the absence of pleasure, depression can arise from within our bodies as a physical phenomenon. It can result from endocrine or metabolic disorders, and from abnormal brain function. In my experience, these are less frequent sources, but always need to be considered.

  The best preventive medicine for depression is a consistent and genuine relationship with God. But it does not render us immune to depression. We sometimes need to give attention to the factors that generate depression, understand what kind of depressive process is going on, and develop a plan to cope with it and move through it.

  This is the purpose of therapy. Research indicates that a significant percentage of persons suffering from depression will eventually improve spontaneously, without professional help. Certainly some of these people benefit from therapeutic forces in their lives, from people and experiences that prompt significant changes. Therapy does not guarantee improvement. Yet there are some good reasons for seeking professional help:

1. Personal change. Times of difficulty can be opportunities for change. Rather than enduring or waiting out depression, therapy can assist a person in correcting a distorted perception of life, God, or others. It may help to revitalize a person's lifestyle, or develop the ability to accept the realities of life.

2. Depression can simply be too overwhelming to endure alone. It can obscure God's goodness and eliminate the desire to worship and pursue a relationship with God or others. Depression can worsen, just as spinning wheels in the mud deepens the rut.

3. Depression seldom affects only one person. It can cast a shadow on spouse, children, and friends. It can reduce a person's effectiveness in their career or ministry.