3 Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there, 4 but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my fathers.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. (1 Kings 19:3-5)
Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen
Refrain:
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,
Nobody knows but Jesus;
Oh, nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,
Glory Hallelujah!
1 Sometimes I’m up,
Sometimes I’m down,
Oh, yes, Lord!
Sometimes I’m almost to the ground
Oh, yes, Lord!
2 Although you see me going long so,
Oh, yes, Lord!
I have my troubles here below,
Oh, yes, Lord!
3 What makes old Satan hate me so?
Oh, yes, Lord!
Cause he got me once and let me go,
Oh, yes, Lord!
Depression, the secret we share
A TED Talk by Andrew Solomon
“The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality, and it was vitality that seemed to seep away from me in that moment.” In a talk equal parts eloquent and devastating, writer Andrew Solomon takes you to the darkest corners of his mind during the years he battled depression. That led him to an eye-opening journey across the world to interview others with depression — only to discover that, to his surprise, the more he talked, the more people wanted to tell their own stories.
Ephesians 4:30-32 NIV
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Clinical depression defined
The definition of clinical depression or a major depressive episode as recognized by most clinicians is as follows:
“The essential feature of a Major Depressive Episode is a period of at least 2 weeks during which there is either depressed mood or the loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities” APA, DSM-IV-TR, pg. 349, 2005).
To further clarify this condition, one must experience at least five or more of the following symptoms for at least two weeks to meet the criteria for a Major Depressive Episode. They are:
- Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty), or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.
- Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others).
- Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5 percent of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note:In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains.
- Insomnia or hypersomnia (can’t get out of bed) nearly every day.
- Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).
- Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick).
- Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others).
- Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide (ibid., 356).
Note: Many clinicians feel that if one has only two or three of these characteristics for an extended period of time, they are still at risk for becoming seriously depressed and should seek help.
Depression should be treated and can be put into remission through a course of psychoanalysis, cognitive therapy and/or antidepressant medication, supplemented by healthy doses of prayer within a loving Christian community.
It is nonsensical to tell a depressed person that if he only read his Bible more or had better quiet times, his depression would surely be lifted. That would be like telling a diabetic that faith alone will regulate her insulin levels.
Faith alone gives eternal salvation, but in the meantime, God has given us resources by which to make our temporal existences more palatable.
Depression is certainly healed by the grace of God, sometimes directly and miraculously, but more often through the tools of His servants, like pharmacists, therapists, pastors and friends.
From http://www.relevantmag.com/life/whole-life/features/1976-can-qrealq-christians-be-depressed
11AM Bible Club 