Ask the Biblical Counselor Episode #1, Pilot. Can Christians Be Depressed?

Episode Transcript:

Is it possible for Christians to be depressed? Does anybody in the Bible, or giants of church history struggle with depression? This is the Ask the Biblical Counselor podcast, and I’m your host Chase Thompson. Today we’re talking about depression, and we are going to find out that YOU are NOT alone if you struggle with depression. In fact, you’re in great company, because many giants of the faith in the past also dealt with depression. But, before we get to that, please allow me to introduce myself since this is our first episode. I’m Chase, I’m a pastor, writer, and counselor serving in sunny Salinas California, just down the road from Silicon Valley. I’m not a native Californian – originally from Alabama – but my family and I have lived here for over 5 years. I’ve been in pastoral ministry for over 25 years, and have been counseling people for about that long too. Salinas is a great city, located in a great area, but – even though the city population is almost 170,000 people, there are no dedicated Christian counseling resources in the entire city! We’ve founded the Salinas Christian Counseling Center to help change that. If you are local to the Salinas/Monterey area, and you need Biblical/Christian counseling, then let me encourage you to get in touch with us at our website, SalinasChristiancounseling.com. That is also the way to submit a question or comment for the Ask the Biblical Counselor podcast, so jump over there and drop us a line.  

The Ask the Biblical Counselor Podcast will be topically oriented, and in each season of the show, representing a dozen or so episodes, we will focus in on one particular topic of mental health that is important to Christians. In this first season, the spotlight is on depression. Upcoming seasons will see us target different issues, such as insomnia, sleep issues, addiction, and marriage. 

Today’s episode is inspired by a question from Paula, a Central Coast of California resident who asks, “I was raised to believe that Christians should be joyful always, and therefore it is sinful for a Christian to be depressed. Is that true? Are Christians not allowed to be depressed?” 

Well, that is a great question and one that is worth grappling with. It is most certainly true that the Bible commands Christians to always be joyful. We see that in a passage like 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, which says, “16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” and in a passage like Philippians 4:4, which reads, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”  This makes it clear that joy should be the steady-state reality of a Christian, but when you keep reading, in 1 Thessalonians, we also see that we are to pray ceaselessly, and always be thankful. This is a high bar – to never stop praying, and always be thankful and joyful. Where could a state like depression possibly fit in with a lifestyle of constant Thanksgiving and joy? 

That’s a tough question, and in order to answer it, we need to spend a few moments discussing depression.  Pre-pandemic Studies showed that nearly 10 percent of women and almost as many men will experience a depressive episode in any given year. More recent research indicates that Depression among adults in the United States tripled in the early 2020 months of the global coronavirus pandemic—jumping from 8.5 percent before the pandemic to a staggering 27.8 percent. And  Boston University School of Public Health’s 2021 study reveals that the elevated rate of depression persisted and even GREW in 2021, with 32.8 percent of American adults grappling with depression – roughly ONE-THIRD of the population. (Source: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/depression-rates-tripled-when-pandemic-first-hit/)   That trend is affecting children and young adults also, with the pandemic causing steady increases in depression rates among those aged 10-24, and 2021 seeing the highest children/young adult suicide rate since records began to be kept in 1968. 

 Suicide, sometimes the end result of depression, is the leading cause of violent deaths worldwide, accounting for 49.1 percent of all violent deaths compared with 18.6 percent in war and 31.3 percent by homicide.

What is Depression? NIMH: “Do you feel sad, empty, and hopeless most of the day, nearly every day? Have you lost interest or pleasure in your hobbies or being with friends and family? Are you having trouble sleeping, eating, and functioning? If you have felt this way for at least 2 weeks, you may have depression, a serious but treatable mood disorder.

What is depression? Everyone feels sad or low sometimes, but these feelings usually pass with a little time. Depression—also called “clinical depression” or a “depressive disorder”—is a mood disorder that causes distressing symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. To be diagnosed with depression, symptoms must be present most of the day, nearly every day for at least 2 weeks.”

What are the symptoms of depression?  According to WebMd, if you have 5 or more of the following symptoms on most days for two weeks or longer, then you might have clinical depression or Major Depressive Disorder: 

1. Loss of interest or pleasure in your activities

• 2. Weight loss or gain
• 3. Trouble getting to sleep or feeling sleepy during the day
• 4. Feelings restless and agitated, or else very sluggish and slowed down physically or mentally
• 5. Being tired and without energy
• 6. Feeling worthless or guilty
• 7. Trouble concentrating or making decisions
• 8. Thoughts of suicide

Your doctor might diagnose you with major depression if you have five or more of these symptoms on most days for 2 weeks or longer. At least one of the symptoms must be a depressed mood or loss of interest in activities.

NIMH: What are the signs and symptoms of depression?  Note that they are somewhat similar to the above list, but not exactly the same.

• Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies or activities
• Decreased energy, fatigue, or being “slowed down”
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Appetite and/or weight changes
• Thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts
• Restlessness or irritability
• Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and/or that do not ease even with treatment

What are the causes of depression? Multifaceted:   Genetics, seasons in life, seasons of the year, medications, stressors, hormones, etc.

You might be surprised to discover that many famous people from today and from history have struggled with depression. Both Winston Churchill, former PM of England and Abraham Lincoln fought depression. So did Samuel Johnson, who wrote the preeminent dictionary in the English language before the Oxford English Dictionary dethroned it 150 years later.  Winston Churchill referred to depression as his “black dog,” and Samuel Johnson called it, “this vile melancholy.” When in its grip, Abraham Lincoln described himself as, “the most miserable man living.”  

Modern celebrities fighting depression include Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Author J.K. Rowling, Harrison Ford, and Chris, “Captain America” Evans. So we can see that fame, good looks, money, intelligence, power and being an Avenger do not protect you from depression. 

Even being a fictional figure doesn’t protect you from depression either, as one of my heroes Sherlock Holmes was noted to have frequent bouts of depression. Here is how Dr. Watson described one such episode in The Reigate Puzzle: 

On referring to my notes I see that it was upon the fourteenth of April that I received a telegram from Lyons which informed me that Holmes was lying ill in the Hotel Dulong. Within twenty-four hours I was in his sick-room and was relieved to find that there was nothing formidable in his symptoms. Even his iron constitution, however, had broken down under the strain of an investigation which had extended over two months, during which period he had never worked less than fifteen hours a day and had more than once, as he assured me, kept to his task for five days at a stretch. Even the triumphant issue of his labours could not save him from reaction after so terrible an exertion, and at a time when Europe was ringing with his name and when his room was literally ankle-deep with congratulatory telegrams I found him a prey to the blackest depression. Even the knowledge that he had succeeded where the police of three countries had failed, and that he had outmanoeuvred at every point the most accomplished swindler in Europe, was insufficient to rouse him from his nervous prostration. Source: The Reigate Puzzle by Doyle, Arthur Conan. Sherlock Holmes : Complete Collection (p. 301). Pandora’s Box. Kindle Edition. 

What about Christians and Saints? Are Christians immune from such issues?? No, as it turns out. For example: 

1. 1. Charles Spurgeon: “I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.’”  Charles Spurgeon.

   2. MOSES: Numbers 11: 10 Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their tents. The Lord was very angry; Moses was also provoked. 11 So Moses asked the Lord, “Why have You brought such trouble on Your servant? Why are You angry with me, and why do You burden me with all these people? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth so You should tell me, ‘Carry them at your breast, as a nursing woman carries a baby,’ to the land that You swore to give their fathers? 13 Where can I get meat to give all these people? For they are crying to me: ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I can’t carry all these people by myself. They are too much for me. 15 If You are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now. If You are pleased with me, don’t let me see my misery anymore.”

• ELIJAH – 1 Kings 19 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!”3 Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there,4 but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my fathers.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.
• Psalmists: The Sons of Korah: Psalm 42: As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” 4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many,leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. 5 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. 6 I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

5. JEREMIAH Jeremiah 20: 14 May the day I was born be cursed. May the day my mother bore me never be blessed. 15 May the man be cursed who brought the news to my father, saying, “A male child is born to you,” bringing him great joy. 16 Let that man be like the cities the Lord demolished without compassion. Let him hear an outcry in the morning and a war cry at noontime 17 because he didn’t kill me in the womb so that my mother might have been my grave, her womb eternally pregnant. 18 Why did I come out of the womb to see only struggle and sorrow, to end my life in shame?

  Medical doctor and Christian author John Lockley writes: “Being depressed is bad enough in itself, but being a depressed Christian is worse. And being a depressed Christian in a church full of people who do not understand depression is like a little taste of hell.”  

As Dr. David Miller notes, “Perhaps the most obvious symptoms of depression are the depressed person’s unhelpful thought patterns, which tend to distort his view of reality in a false and negative way, adding to his depression or anxiety. The authors of the book Mind over Mood note, “Our perception of an event or experience powerfully affects our emotional, behavioral, and physiological responses to it.” Or, as the Bible puts it: “As [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7).

When we are under the power of depression, our PERCEPTION IS WARPED. The net result of that is that, for us, REALITY IS WARPED. This can be a deadly danger.

*It can cripple our relationships with other people (leading to distrust, paranoia, negative thoughts and feelings, discord, hatred, etc)

*It can dismantle our perception of events causing us to view positive events as neutral, neutral events as negative, negative events as catastrophic. This robs us of the ability to properly respond to these events and gives us a false impression of how our life is going.
A key weapon given to us to combat unhealthy and destructive thought patterns in the supernatural Word of God. 

• Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.
  
  It is almost as if this passage, written almost 2000 years ago, is screaming – THE WORD OF GOD IS A FANTASTIC WEAPON AGAINST DEPRESSION AND EVERY UNHEALTHY THOUGHT, FEELING OR ANXIETY!!
• Psalm 119 on the TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE WORD: 

Vs 11 I have treasured Your word in my heart

so that I may not sin against You.

Vs 25: My life is down in the dust;

give me life through Your word.

Vs 28 I am weary from grief;

strengthen me through Your word.

LIFE Comes from the Word. HOPE Comes from the Word. LIGHT Comes from the Word. STRENGTH Comes from the Word. HEALING Comes from the Word. SWEETNESS Comes from the Word. JOY comes from the Word.

When we fill our minds with the Word of God, ANY unhealthy thoughts – especially those brought on by depression – will be less likely to take deep roots in our thoughts and feelings, and health, God-honoring thoughts will be MORE likely to grow and prosper. Think of meditation on the Word of God as a sort of Godly, supernatural Weed ‘N Feed. The Word of God helps to suppress bad/harmful thoughts and causes good and helpful thoughts to thrive. 

That’s all or now. In the next episode, we will look to offer more encouragement to those impacted by depression and also bust some myths about depression and Christians. Thanks for listening, and please tell a friend!