If I hear one more time that depression and/or anxiety is a spiritual problem, I may just have to hurl. I know that the authors of such articles mean well, & perhaps getting closer to God worked for them.
But they might be interested to know that the profession that purchases more antidepressants (by far) is…..you guessed it…..the ministry. These are the persons we go straight to when we feel lost. When we feel lonely, When we feel abandoned by God. That is easy to happen when one is suffering from depression or anxiety.
Nothing is more harmful, at least in my own experience, than to have a well-meaning friend tell me, ‘If you would simply find God, you would not have to suffer.’ Oh if only that were true. I’m usually cordial & thank them, & ask them for a reference. Of course there is no reference. Occasionally they will use the Bible as a reference & that is okay, but I’ve to first ask which Bible; almost every religious leader or Deity has suffered from depression at one time or another from Moses, who led his people out of Egypt only to feel he was not appreciated, to Jesus whose final statement was ‘Father, why hath thee forsaken me?’
Job’s life, for the most part was so terrible, we all know the legend of his patience he was forced to learn. King David went through his bouts of depression as did Abraham with family dysfunction.
Those are not words of happiness & joy. We ALL have depression and/or anxiety at some times in our lives, whether it’s situational, environmental, chemical or all of the above.
I am not saying for a minute that God & spirituality do not offer comfort. For me they do. I happen to be a believer. But I’ve friends who are agnostic and/or atheist (yes, I do not judge people by what they believe but by their actions), & they find comfort in their own way.
The bottom line is that, no matter what a very opinionated writer, Scientologist, or anyone else may think, depression & anxiety, & mental illness in general has been scientifically proven hundreds of thousands of times to be a chemical imbalance in the brain.
It is okay to see a trained professional & still be a believer. In actual fact, it saved my life. I found out, late in my life, I was one of the twenty million sufferers of TRD. (treatment resistant depression). Most who have it do not even know it (much less their therapists). So, like shopping for anything, you must shop for a therapist. It took me twenty five years to find one who finally advised me, ‘Traditional psychology or psychiatry will not help you.’
Many doctors do not want to believe that, or do believe it, but do not want to lose patients. I found an honest one who told me in September of 2005, ‘They just approved the Vagus Nerve Implant for treatment resistant depression. Thus far, it’s the only known viable treatment.’
It was an uphill battle all the way to get it covered. It is not a cheap procedure. But on January 25, 2005, I went to sleep with major depression. I woke up hardly remembering I ever had it.
I am not saying the VNS device is for everyone. Many do fabulously on ssri drugs, tricyclics, mao inhibitors, cognitive therapy, & other methods.
But whatever you do, please do not get caught in the trap of a snake oil salesperson telling you that ‘getting more spiritual’ will cure your depression. Yes it will probably help it, but it will not cure you… I wish I had better news. The good news is it’s treatable & usually there is something that will control it… Stay the course, do not give up. The solution is out there, believe it or not. It really is. Don’t give up. Find it… If you have been trying a long time, & nothing is working, I highly suggest Cyberonics in Houston.
They manufacturer the VNS transplant for TRD & it works (just fine, thank you). And of course, not everyone, like me, has TRD. A very good trained professional will (eventually) find the medicine or medicines that work. But remember SHOP SHOP SHOP! Ask the tough questions. Let him know you have a basic knowledge of your problem though not an expert, & expect the best. After all, this is your life & your health. Good luck & hang in there. You’ll see there IS an answer.
Rick London is a writer & cartoonist with various websites such as http://www.ricklondonwear.com & http://www.londonstimes.us
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