It is physical and EMOTIONAL problem, not a SPIRITUAL one.

Anyone who confuses one for the other is a raging idiot.

I've suffered for depression for years. It's hard for me to see religion, Christianity, as a solution.

"suffering has meaning" is a common theme but for the depressed their suffering seems to have no meaning, maybe because they seem to afflict the suffering on themselves.

I think our faith and trust in the Lord can help us get through times of depression and hard times, would like to share this information on the new book written by Dr. Gary Chapman- Love is a Verb - http://www.bizymoms.com/books/love-is-a-verb/index.html beautiful moving and inspiring true stories. Check it out as there is a contest to win an autographed copy of his new book and a cash prize of $50.00 as well -
http://www.bizymoms.com/books/love-is-a-verb/contest.html

Based on my own personal experience, faith can be a help, but can also very likely be a contributor to depression. I was a member of a Christian Orthodox church when I had significant problems with depression. This particular brand of Christianity (in my opinion) is not helpful to depression sufferers. The Orthodox church focuses on the sinfulness of man, so we were always reminded of the fact that we were sinners and *unworthy*, etc. That, coupled with the fact that both anger and despair were considered sins made it a pit that was hard to pull oneself out of and still maintain one's faith.

I no longer consider myself a Christian, much less, an Orthodox Christian. I can experience both anger and despair without feeling I have committed a terrible sin. They are (I don't want to say "merely") feelings to be dealt with. That's not to say that anger and despair are easy to deal with, but it helps not to have to also address the idea that you have committed a grave sin.

My own views are that depression may be just a matter of a chemical imbalance in the brain for some people, but I think that for a lot of people there's more to it. It can be a way of coping with a bad life situation or a result of repressing anger. I understand that seeing it as a chemical imbalance is a way to de-stigmatize depression which is a good thing, but I don't think that's all it is. I believe that our culture (American culture, Western culture, civilization in general, perhaps ....) is not healthy for human beings. We are disconnected from others, alienated. I firmly believe that if there was more meaningful interaction between people, there would be less depression.

I have found that a lot of people (who have never really experienced depression) think of it as just feeling sad or melancholy, but it's not just that. It can be a feeling of total emotional numbness while also underneath feeling extreme emotional pain. For anyone who has never experienced depression but wants to understand it, watch the movie "The Hours". If you have experienced depression, DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE.

(continued from previous)

Especially since we've kind of *built* a daily life which is meant to be safe, but also *resists* change, abstracts our feelings, and tends to force us down to repetetive activities whether that's good for us right now or not: the body and mind want to change tack, but the depression deepens because we're *just* smart enough to ignore what our bodies tell us and teach our subconscious and unconscious minds just how painfully-unrewarding daily activities can be: in fact, *making* them more painful.

It seems like pointless suffering or even anti-social laziness, but really the thing that stands out for me is that it seems like just pointless suffering precisely because it's *defined* as pointless suffering.

Depression sufferers have a harder *time* feeling that activities are rewarding, particularly when compared to the other social animals, they aren't encouraged or seemingly as capable right now. Exercise helps with this, but also... however long it takes, repeated experiences of being able to do something *useful* for others are some of the best medicine.

Chemicals can help, at least to remind people it's possible, but the tactic of medding someone up and expecting them to cheerfully re-enter the routine simply isn't enough.

It's not about what God or whatever, particularly not so much about 'suffering for suffering's sake and awaiting salvation:' I'm sure any good Gods know depression as well as a broken leg and wouldn't 'judge' too unkindly if they were given to judging,... but *getting better as a living human being* is about having and expressing 'value' *now,* ...and it doesn't have to be that *big.*

The instincts and mechanisms are about being of useful value to a social group, this is what we're *made* for. Rhetoric and abuse about 'You're this kind of sinner, you're that kind of broken, you're that kind of valueless, suck it up, I'm valueless too except that I do the things that mean I get to say this' can actually make certain religious views a *trap* for those who suffer from depression. In fact, in some conspicuous cases, our response of becoming depressed is often used as a *weapon of control* by certain religious agendas. Often, I'm sure, quite unthinkingly.

Certainly it *does* often mean another path is more helpful: at least, hanging out with people who don't value your contributions ain't going to get the dopamine going, not in a good way anyway, but a *lot* of our fellow humans out here can really be helped by some pretty simple stuff, and churches could be as good as any with that: just ask em favors. Preferably physical ones. A lot. Even if they say no a lot. Cycles of depression have usually gone on a *long* time before anyone notices, and they aren't undone at a shot.

"A church community, at its best, can bring love and welcome to the worthless."

That's really no way to talk to people with depression.

Horrible, in fact.

Long post coming, but I'm hoping it may be helpful: I've both experienced this and counselled/treated a lot of others from within my own tradition:

It's a complex subject, but depression has a lot of causes, some of them frustrating to would-be caregivers and friends and family: the 'chemical imbalance,' when put in context of what is 'normal' and who is of 'value' and such, isn't always something that drugs can help on their own.

In some religious contexts, the rhetoric is in fact that *everyone's* 'worthless' ...without the religion, which is supposed to be the sole source or arbiter of providing 'worth...' this may be OK for many because on some levels, they don't believe it like that, but it doesn't really help either 'depressed' people to get by, or 'undepressed' people to understand.

We're social creatures, though: our brains are *designed* to find social activity and social worth *rewarding* (and this manifests through production and expression of the chemicals associated with these feelings...) ...Christians need to be *careful* about the baseline *assumptions and teachings* that 'suffering' is a 'cross to bear' that magically helps others or otherwise must be borne: and in fact that depression is therefore a 'character flaw.'

Depression can have manifold causes and exacerbating factors, but it's first and foremost a *response* built in to the dynamic systems our brains and bodies are. It's a system that can go wrong of itself (call that 'primary' depression) or fail to respond as expected to modern life or stress or other illness (call that 'secondary') or even become a bit more pathological/habitual if things get 'complex. ' (I bend the diagnostic terms a fair bit, here, but just food for thought.)

It's also a system that can be engaged when it's not actually productive.

My theory and experience is that it's *probably* a mechanism that exists in our bodies that's evolved to stop us from flailing about fruitlessly in situations where we're better off saving energy and waiting for the situation to change.

(continued next)

"Depression is a disease and God does not cause it."
But he can stop/cure it? Then what is he waiting for? What does it mean when he is asked to fix it and he doesn't?

IMHO, God (if there is one) started the Big Bang. This Singularity (or Mom Nature) also granted the gifts of Free Will and Future to all the thinking beings in the Universe. This being the case, God is not able to alter life and requests/prayers will not be answered. Statistically, your request might come true but it is simply the result of the variabiliy/randomness of Nature.

So put down your rosaries and prayer beads and stop worshiping cows and bowing to Mecca five times a day. Instead work hard at your job, take care of aging parents, volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate to charities and the poor and continue to follow the Commandments of your religion or any good rules of living as gracious and good human beings. And lets all hope there indeed is a place called Heaven!!!