People of faith are not immune from depression. Many Christians struggling with depression find it difficult to reconcile this with their faith in Jesus. Some responses from faith communities add to the pain of depression instead of offering empathy and support. Although written long ago, the book of Job provides a deeper understanding for the issues of heart and soul for people of faith coping with depression.
Depression has become a “mental health pandemic” of the modern world. Maybe you are depressed or know someone who is. While medication is the common “solution”, personal revelation in the deepest places in our soul can lead to healing and restoration.
Our emotions function as indicators of our souls, pointing to our personal pain, inner conflicts, beliefs about God and much more. We need to listen to our souls as part of our healing and personal transformation. This is in stark contrast to psychiatric medication that typically numbs the soul, prevents lasting healing and undermines spiritual growth.
Some psychiatric drugs have been renamed and used for disorders or “mental illnesses” quite different from their original use. Patients are often under the impression that they are getting the latest, newest drug researched and developed just for their needs. That amounts to a “shell game” with medication. Some psychiatric diagnoses have gone through a number of different names until a “marketable” name was decided on. Then, a drug for that disorder or mental illness was soon easily prescribed and widely used. The end goal in all of this: increased market share and profitability for the pharmaceutical industry.
What do we really need for our personal healing and transformation? More psychological technique? More psychiatric medication? Or love and compassion through a genuine healing presence? Could love deficits with a myriad of symptoms and disorder be the deepest “cry of the soul?”
