02/11/2008

Many if not most of us will suffer from some form of depression at some time, and it can be difficult to self-diagnose and treat, so Freudian psychologists and psychiatrists are making a lot of money out of depressives.

Out of experience, and knowledge of the human instruction book (the Bible) I have adopted a simple and effective way to handle depression that shouldn't cost you anything.

Let me hasten to say right away that some depression is clinical, that is, due to a biochemical imbalance, and must be diagnosed and treated by a doctor; but that route should be taken only after your have considered the following:

Depression stems from three causes: medical, emotional and spiritual.

Common causes of depression such as tiredness and hunger are simply remedied. Get some food, some rest and some more food. If you know about the prophet Elijah, that is how God treated his depression (1 Kings 19 in the Bible).

Periods of illness can give rise to depression which is sometimes hard to shift. Apply yourself to the treatment, trust God's goodness, and give your emotions a lift, like receiving a kind visitor, or listening to your favourite music.

"Spiritual" is to do with your relationship with God. When you are in sin, God will seem far away. The fundamental rules of human behaviour were codified for us in Exodus 20. Break any of them and you could be setting yourself up for depression, and will definitely give you guilt-feelings. These you may suppress for a time, but eventually you will break down.

If you want some down-to-earth definitions of sin, the Bible is full of them, but you could look up Romans 1:18-32 and Galatians 5:19-21. No-one has to date succeeded in living a sinless life except Jesus Christ, so we all bear the potential for disaster.

If you recognise from those lists (or your conscience tells you) that you are in sin then stop sinning, ask God for forgiveness and proceed as if you had never sinned. Sin against another person is effectively sin against our Creator. That is why we confess to God for forgiveness and try to be reconciled with one another. Christ has taken our sins on himself, so get on board! Christ died for our sins; he offers us eternal life.

Sin can include self-pity. Quit immediately! You are a creation of God and precious to him. He will take care of you. Just ask.

Sometimes you may feel depressed without being able to discover why. I ask God occasionally why I am feeling the way I do. If he does not give me a clue, I put it down to tiredness, hunger or even the deception of the devil, who wants to knock me down any way he can. And I get on with life.

We can get depressed following great shock. As you deal with your emotions, trust in a loving God who will restore you, in time. If your emotions are uncontrollable, ask your doctor for a mild anti-depressant. Medical science is one of God's kind acts, helping us produce wonderful things from his creation.

I have been through it all, so hear me!