Responding Correctly To Depression
June is Christian Becoming Month (CBM). During CBM, we will have our 12th annual Christian Becoming Conference (CBC). This year’s CBC theme is “Managing and Overcoming Depression.” We selected this theme because of a rise in anxiety and depression. The World Health Organization shared a news release: “In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%...” The report attributed this rise in anxiety and depression to “unprecedented stress caused by the social isolation resulting from the pandemic. Linked to this were constraints on people’s ability to work, seek support from loved ones, and engage in their communities.” They also added the following: “Loneliness, fear of infection, suffering and death for oneself and loved ones, grief after bereavement, and financial worries have also all been cited as stressors leading to anxiety and depression. Among health workers, exhaustion has been a major trigger for suicidal thinking.” Despite the increase in anxiety and depression, no one should have to respond to depression with self-defeating or suicidal thoughts that lead to chaos, confusion, controversy, or cessation of life.
More than ever, the Christian church must view depression as a viable topic. In a presentation on depression, Mark Meynell argues that depression is an important topic because many people have had “first or second-hand experience of depression and other mental illnesses…[and] they need to know that God is concerned about this and that they are not odd, less spiritual, or even under some divine curse.” Meynell also contends that depression is a worthy topic because the church needs to understand depression and act compassionately toward those who suffer from it by seeking to help share the burden of depression through “compassionate burden-bearing” (Gal. 6:2). Meynell stated that when he preached about depression, many of the congregants were surprised to hear that he had battled with depression, sought help, and received an antidepressant that he admitted to using while preaching a sermon about depression. He shared his connection to people in the congregation who related his struggle with their past or ongoing battle with depression.
Meynell is not the only person God calls to pastoral or preaching ministry who has suffered from depression. Arnold Dallimore shared about one of the 19th century’s greatest preachers who suffered from depression. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) had moments when he plunged into a deep depression. In a biography of the “prince of preachers,” Dallimore wrote, “What he suffered in those times of darkness we may not know…even his desperate calling on God brought no relief. ‘There are dungeons,’ he said, ‘beneath the castles of despair.’”
I can relate to these men of God who struggled with depression. I have endured at least two severe bouts of depression. In 2004, while pastoring my first church, I didn’t want to return to church at the beginning of the new year. I struggled to comprehend the intense melancholy feeling I couldn’t quickly shrug off. Later, I discovered that I had plunged into a deep depression because of a lack of intentional withdrawal from ministry demands. That bout with depression initiated a life-long pursuit of information and awareness about compassion fatigue and how ministry demands can weigh on pastors to the point of severe depression. My second serious bout with depression occurred in 2015 when I incurred unexpected sickness and plunged into a moment of depression that included suicidal thoughts. In each instance, I never had to take medication. By God’s grace, I worked through these seasons of depression by focusing on my relationship with God through His written Word.
Even though I made it through without medication, it is not that way for every person who must live with depression daily. Some people are like the psalmist in Psalm 88, who has cried out to God for deliverance from the darkness of depression (vv. 1-17) and concluded: “You have taken away my companion and loved one. Darkness is my closest friend” (NLT). What does a person do when depression makes them feel isolated and lonely, as though “darkness” is their “closest friend”? How can people handle moments when they feel no one cares about their time in the dark spaces of depression? Where does a person turn when they desire light in their lives but discover nothing but new days of darkness and despair?
In a sermon entitled “My Only Friend is Darkness,” Dave Simpson writes about the reality of depression for those close to God and willing to cry out to Him as the psalmist did in Psalm 88. I agreed with Simpson’s assertion that we must see depression as more than a faith issue and “acknowledge it as a medical issue.” Doing so allows us to become the “compassionate burden-bearers” (Gal. 6:2) God desires for all His children.
As we learn more about depression, we can minister to others through a balanced approach that includes directives, encouragement, promises from God’s Word, and social science and medical approaches integrated with God’s Word. A Rush University Medical Center study found that belief in God can improve response to medical treatment in patients diagnosed with clinical depression. The study also found that “with a strong belief in a personal and concerned God were more likely to experience improvement.” Their study stated: “the positive response to medication had little to do with the feelings of hope that typically accompanies spiritual belief…. It was tied specifically to the belief that a Supreme Being cared.” We know that God is the Supreme Being who cares because Peter declares: “Give all your worries and care to God, for He cares about you” (1 Pet. 5:7, NLT). Our task is to trust that God cares and will demonstrate His compassionate love for us in our darkest days.
Remember: Do your best to respond correctly to depression, knowing that God is with every person who struggles with depression.
Consider the following.
Don’t suffer from depression in silence. Get help.
Please take your medication for yourself and others.
Don’t think you are alone in your suffering. Others share the same crisis.
Pray for God’s divine assistance and allow His Word to provide peace.
Stay connected to your local faith community.
Communicate well with others how you feel daily.
Recognize your limitations.
Never allow a diagnosis to define you.
Focus on soul-care and self-care.
Don’t take chances with untreated depression.