Psalm 13 and Psalm 32

Perhaps not the most motivating (but probably the most controversial) post I will have up here, at least not in the beginning. I have felt the need to post about depression, so I’m going to tackle it now. Maybe this will help someone.

Depression affects Christians and non-Christians alike… it is an equal opportunity affliction. The National Institute of Health says that 20 million Americans (9.5% of the population) battle this monster. I personally feel it is over-diagnosed and doctors are prescription happy and will prescribe something without investigating issues further, because there are two different types of depression; a noun and a verb. The noun depression is what prescription drugs help and take away the nasty symptoms – it is purely that there is a chemical imbalance in their brain. These people have my pity. I grieve for them daily because it is not their fault. In addition to the chemicals in the brain, it is important to talk to a medical professional to see if there are other issues that are contributing to it… perhaps a thyroid or pituitary gland disorder. These have a main symptom listed as depression. The verb depression should be described as “depressing” as in you are depressing your feelings/emotions inward and have poor coping skills which just delay the healing. This should be dealt with by therapy (whether it is pastoral or professional counseling) and talking things out to improve the coping skills. In this case, the prescriptions actually cause the depression to worsen! The statistic does not specify which form of depression, but it is simply going by the number of prescriptions for anti-depressants.

Regardless if a person is dealing with depression the verb or the noun, the physical aches are exactly the same. You cannot eat, and if you do, your food choices are bad or it makes you sick to your stomach when you do eat. Eating patterns are sporadic… one day you eat everything in sight, the next you eat nothing at all. You do not want to get out of bed and do anything. Nothing you enjoyed sounds fun anymore. And the ache? There is nothing you or anyone else can do to ease the ache. Well, there are some things… but most of the routes are destructive (alcohol, drugs, food) and only help for the short term. On a spiritual level, you do want anything to do with God. No talking to friends. No going to church. And forget about praying! Though depression is not a sin, in and of itself, if the isolation from God and friends continues, it could definitely turn into sin! Especially since being alone allows a person to only focus on themselves and how pathetic their life is (at least, that’s their mentality) rather than serving God or others.

There are a few ways to combat depression… regardless of which form it is. Many Biblical figures have been depressed, though I only want to look at one in particular, King David. He is a man after God’s own heart and he was depressed.

One way is to take the focus off of you. Do something for others, or simply be still in the presence of God. There are quite a few psalms where David is depressed (the noun) but he doesn’t stay in the depressing (the verb) state for long. Have you noticed that in all of the psalms he writes when he is depressed, by the end of the psalm he is always in a much better state and ready to proclaim how good God is? Psalm 13 is only 6 verses but sweet in the sense that David fully relies on the goodness of God. And this is how he turns his thoughts so quickly from himself. It is the only way.

The other way to combat depression, especially for the verb form, is confession. And you do not even need a therapist for this! Maybe the reason a person is depressed is they have unconfessed sin in their lives. That is crucial in any setting. Psalm 32 illustrates how liberating this is… verses 3&4 say “3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” In verse 5, after the confession: “5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

It is always crucial to talk to a trusted friend and explore why you are feeling the way you are, because it could be a combination of the two forms. Also explore areas of your life… such as a job. Sometimes that is causing the depressed feelings. But, do not let it go unaddressed!!! I mentioned that drugs could worsen the depression if it is due to poor coping skills… I am not a medical professional, but I say it from a firsthand experience. I used to have poor coping skills. I still need work, but I have learned how to not stuff feelings, but to address them head on.