Is it a sin to be depressed?
Billy Graham answers:
A: Let me ask you a question: If you broke your arm in an accident, do you think your friend would claim it was a sin for you to have a broken arm, and all you needed to do was pray? I doubt it.
Neither is it a sin for you to seek treatment for a chemical imbalance in your brain. The Bible says that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) - and it’s true: Our bodies and minds are very complex. Although doctors can’t solve all our problems, we should be grateful that God has enabled them to understand more about our bodies and minds, and has given them new ways to overcome many of our problems. Don’t feel that you are somehow sinning by seeking treatment for your depression; it would be wrong for you not to seek treatment.
Don’t misunderstand me, however. God has given us the gift of prayer, and prayer should be an important part of your life as you struggle with this problem. Through prayer we draw near to God, and the closer we get to Him, the more we will realize that He loves us and wants to help us.
Make sure of your commitment to Christ, and then ask Him to guide you as you seek treatment. In addition, let God’s promises saturate your mind and heart. The psalmist wrote, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? … Put your hope in God” (Psalm 42:5).
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- Is it a sin to be depressed?
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Ranger on 06 May 2008 at 8:50 pm #
Michael,
Have you read Michael Spencers moving story at boarsheadtavern.com about his struggles during the past year? It’s by far one of the more moving things that I’ve ever read. I think it’s content is very pertinent to this discussion.
C Michael Patton on 06 May 2008 at 11:26 pm #
Ranger,
No. Do you have a link? I really like Michael a lot.
Jason on 07 May 2008 at 9:13 am #
There is a chicken-and-egg argument regarding depression. Which comes first, the seratonin problem or the depression? I would maintain that it is generally the circumstances leading to the depression.
I don’t think that Billy Graham’s metaphor is appropriate. A broken arm is a verifiable medical condition. The chemical imbalances in the brain do not have a valid test. We know that these drugs will change people’s behavior, but is that really a cure or is it a bandage?
Don’t get me wrong, I think that there is a place for getting someone stabilized. However, I also think that there are enough documented dangers of these meds that we should be extremely cautious about taking them and never start taking them without an exit plan in sight.
Ben on 07 May 2008 at 11:00 am #
I’m a Christian, I have depression, and I think that seeking treatment is the best course of action. Obviously there are a variety of different treatments from drugs to talking therapies. But just because every treatment has pros and cons doesn’t meet you don’t seek any kind of treatment.
Also after studying psychology at college I found that psychologists aren’t in full agreement as to what causes depression. But here’s the options and in the end it’s generally accepted that a mix of these is usually the answer:
1. Biology - Depression can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. People can also be more vulnerable to it genetically, though this does not mean you will definitely get it, it just means you’re more prone to it. Medication, exercise and eating well can help.
2. Cognitive - Depression can be caused by thinking in a negative way. Thinking better about things and trying to be more positive can help.
3. Behaviour - This is the complicated one which I usually fell asleep in class to
. Basically, changing your behaviour from dysfunctional to functional can help.
4. Memories - Depression can be caused by negative memories in the past that still haunt you. Learning to deal with negative and hurtful memories and talking to someone about them can help.
I’m no expert but this is what I was taught and different things work for different people. For me medication and talking therapies didn’t help, but learning how to cope by changing the way I behave worked a lot better. Exercise is good too. Then again my mum and dad both have depression and say that their medication really helps them.
Look into it. It’s your call.
Jason on 07 May 2008 at 12:41 pm #
One other point I would like to put out there is that I would maintain that psychology and Christianity are two competing faith structures. The psychologist works from the belief that man is basically good and that he can find the answers inside himself. He may need help from others, but ultimately he can change himself. If not, we can medicate. Christianity of course sees things as the complete opposite.
I realize that paints psychology with a very broad brush, but the founders of the various schools of thought in psychology were definitely humanists as are most of its practitioners (another reason I’m not a big fan of Dr. Dobson along with his political meddling). As Christians we have the Holy Spirit to change our inner man rather than simply work on our destructive behaviors.
Please understand that I am very glad for someone who stops doing something destructive. It is always good to stop doing a bad behavior. However, I think that only Christianity has the true answers for dealing with the heart rather than the symptoms. We have to agree on a definition of what “helps” means. I would say that Scripture calls us to go from Ephesians 4:22 through 4:24. Psychology tends to stop at 4:22. Drugs can help us “put off,” but how do they help us in the renewing of our minds to “put on” righteousness?
I think this little video sums up the various dangers of drugs nicely:
http://www.mercola.com/townofallopath/index.htm
Obviously there is value in counseling. My zeal is to see all counseling with a Christocentric focus. I don’t deny that depression is real as is anxiety and the various other “diseases” that we diagnose using the DSM-IV. My point is that as Christians we should earnestly desire to treat it in a biblical way.
Daniel Eaton on 07 May 2008 at 1:02 pm #
I have no problem with medically treating a verified medical problem. But I believe it has also been abused. I think in many cases, anti-depression meds are little more than legalized “uppers”. I’m not opposed to the meds, but often they are prescribed as the first course of action and no blood workups looking for hormonal imbalance or anything is done first. If that is not done to document an actual imbalance, what is the difference between me taking a pill to make me “feel better” and me snorting some street drug for the same purpose?
Jason on 07 May 2008 at 1:08 pm #
Daniel — I would maintain that the only difference is a legal one. Do some research on the action mechanisms of these drugs. No one is exactly sure how they work, only that they seem to help some people feel better sometimes.
Keep in mind that chemical imbalance is still a theory. There is no test that a doctor can do to determine that you need to take Prozac. The prescription comes from inference. If the drug “works”, then it must fix whatever your problem was and, therefore, must be the right course of action.
Jeff Thompson on 07 May 2008 at 8:36 pm #
I like the broken arm analogy. Depression is not, so far I can tell, contagious in that there is a germ, virus, or chemical irritant that causes it. It’s more of a condition like the broken arm, or a long-term disease like arthritis. There are physical therapies that might help alleviate the pain, but talking to a psychologist about it is not going to make the pain go away, nor will it help the bone or joint to heal.
A broken arm must be ’set’ and then stabilized long enough for the body to repair itself. In the meantime, one might need a prescription-level analgesic to cope with the pain. After the cast is removed, the arm needs rehabilitation. Even with the best medical treatment, it may never heal to the point where it is just as strong as its unbroken counterpart.
Arthritis, on the (ahem) other hand, might be treatable to the point where the pain is significantly reduced, but it is incurable. So, you learn to live with it, avoid movements that aggravate it, and compensate for it in other ways as best as you can. You might have been able to hold the disease off for a few years or lessened its damage by taking preventive measures, but it will eventually creep into your joints and affect you for the rest of your life.
Since serotonin was mentioned, let me briefly explain how modern medicines like Prozac, Selectra, and Lexapro work in this regard. These are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI’s. These drugs help increase the amount of serotonin available for use. See http://www.prozac.com/how_prozac/how_it_works.jsp?reqNavId=2.2 for explanation and an animated demonstration.
“Uppers”, which methamphetamines like “ecstasy”, have an immediate affect on brain chemistry—they basically flush all the serotonin into the brain at once, giving one a euphoric feeling. Unfortunately, once the effect wears off, virtually no serotonin is available and a state of deep, often suicidal, depression ensues.
SSRI’s, however, take about three weeks of daily dosing to have an effect. Wellbutrin, a dopamine enhancer, does not have an immediate effect, either, when taken as prescribed.
Speaking as one having personal experience with suicidal depression—at my first appointment, my psychiatrist asked if I though he needed to put me in hospital for a 72-hour period of observation, and it take me a while to hesitantly respond with “I don’t think so”, I can tell you that these drugs took about six weeks to be fully effective, and I have never had anything close to the rush I’ve heard drug abusers describe.
It took about five years for my depression reached the point above, starting off quite slowly, but snowballing in the last few months before I sought treatment. Could I have simply “prayed through” it? I doubt it. I would have committed suicide one way or another.
There are many ways to commit suicide, not all of which result in death. For the sake of brevity, I list just a few here: insanity, drunkenness, drug abuse, and denial of faith are also escape mechanisms, which is what self-inflicted death is.
I will probably be on anti-depressants for the rest of my life, but not everyone who is so treated will be. Once the immediate crisis is over, one might be able to taper off use and quit.
Someone you know, some close to you, perhaps in your family, maybe even you, will face depression in the next few years, if the Lord tarries. When prayer, pastoral counselling, and the best efforts of family and friends fail to bring relief, consider seeking medical help before its too late. A psychiatrist is a board-certified medical doctor with several additional years of training. A psychologist is not.