Depression

Sometimes, in casual conversation, a person will say they are feeling depressed for one reason or another. Maybe an important relationship is facing a serious obstacle or has ended. In other situations, a favored sports team lost a game over the weekend, or the speaker is just feeling out of sorts for an unknown reason. The word “depression”is used in a variety of ways, and that can obscure what the mental health condition called depression truly is. Depression isn’t just a feeling of sadness. As we noted earlier, it is a mood disorder. Some people experience depression for a short season, while others battle with it for substantial portions of their life. It can be severe, making life feel like a living death or a struggle just to stay alive, or it can be mild and cast a dark shroud over the joys and experiences of everyday life.

Depression is a condition that affects a person’s mental health, impacting their mood, perceptions, and experience of life. It affects how one thinks, feels, behaves, and can interfere with their everyday life and ability to function well.

Certain neurotransmitters or brain chemicals,such as serotonin, dopamine, and nor epinephrine need to remain in a certain balance, and when they are in short supply, it may lead to the symptoms that underlie clinical depression. However, while brain chemical imbalance is an important factor in causing depression, there is more than a simple chemical imbalance in the brain contributing to the development of depression. As there are several types of depression, understanding the causes of depression can be complicated. The exact causes of depression are not known, but there are several risk factors and experiences that increase the likelihood of developing depression, including:

• Death or significant loss
• Taking medications such as corticosteroids, opioids, beta-blockers, and anticholinergics that can increase the risk of depression.
• Serious, chronic illness
• Experiencing abuse
• Stressful life events such as starting a new job, getting divorced, retiring, losing your job, or significant personal conflict
• Biology and genetics – depression often runs in families, and some evidence has been found of structures in the brain such as the hippocampus and amygdala being different in people with depression
• Poor diet
• Substance abuse

The causes of depression are not well understood, but it is important to remember that there is usually no single cause of depression operating in isolation.

Common signs of depression in both men and women include:

• fatigue
• feeling empty or sad and hopeless
• sleeping too much or too little
• difficulty concentrating
• eating too much or too little
• unintentional weight gain or loss
• anxiety
• aches, pains, and digestive problems
• deep indecision
• inability to meet family, work, or other responsibilities
• suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts
• loss of interest in hobbies and avoiding socializing as before
• feeling restless and agitated

Signs of depression in children may include changes in their eating and sleeping habits, experiencing fatigue, or feeling tense and restless much of the time. There may be frequent mood changes, and your child may experience feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and guilt, along with physical ailments like headaches or stomach aches that do not respond to treatment. Other symptoms include behavioral changes such as problems at school, social withdrawal, irritability or anger, a lack of interest in activities that were previously considered interesting, angry outbursts and crying, difficulty concentrating and paying attention, having thoughts of death and suicide, and engaging in self-injury.

The author and educator Parker J. Palmer once wrote that depression comes in many forms. “Some,” he wrote, “are primarily genetic or biochemical and will respond only to drugs; some are primarily situational and will respond only to inner work that leads to self-knowledge, choices, and change; some lie between.”There are indeed different types of depression, and these stem from a variety of causes and will respond to different treatments. To find out whether and what type of depression you may be dealing with, you must see a mental health professional for a proper diagnosis.

Depression shows up in different forms, and a mental health professional can diagnose and determine the type of depression that you or your loved one are suffering from. The various types of depression, include:

• Postpartum depression. Depression can set in during pregnancy or after the birth of a child (postpartum). The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy can affect a woman’s mood. Postpartum depression is associated with a woman having trouble bonding with her baby along with symptoms such as anxiety, irritability thoughts of suicide, lethargy, social withdrawal, and hopelessness.
• Severe or major depression (major depressive disorder). This is also referred to as clinical depression, and it is marked by significant changes in weight, not finding joy in once-cherished activities and hobbies, feeling fatigued, having feelings of worthlessness and guilt.
• Persistent Depressive Disorder. This is a form of chronic depression that marks the bulk of a person’s days for at least two years. The symptoms aren’t as stark as for major depression, but they last for a considerable time.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is a form of depression triggered by limited exposure to daylight and the resultant deficiency in vitamin D, and so it usually sets in during the Fall or Winter and improves with the return of Spring. Young people and women are typically affected by it, and it affects around 1 to 2% of the population.
• Bipolar Disorder. This is a mood disorder characterized by elevated mood known as mania. These moods can be mild, but they can also be extreme to the point of affecting a person’s life to the point of requiring hospitalization. People with bipolar disorder also typically have episodes of major depression.

The good news is that there is help available to help address depression. If you are diagnosed with depression, various strategies are available for treatment. With mild depression, some coping strategies include exercise or meditation, creating a routine and structure, simplifying your tasks, eating and sleeping well, avoiding alcohol, and seeking support from friends and family. These coping mechanisms are supplemental to the help of a licensed medical professional. Your counselor may recommend medication or talk therapy; major depressive episodes usually require both. Talk therapy, or psychotherapy, takes many forms, but it involves talking through the situation with a licensed mental health professional. Psychotherapy can help people with depression to accomplish goals that include:

• coping with crisis
• finding creative ways to problem-solve
• identifying and replacing negative beliefs and behaviors with positive thoughts and behaviors
• learning to recognize the issues that contribute to depression

Your counselor may recommend medication such as antidepressants which may have side effects, but your doctor will adjust the dosage and medications to meet your needs. The medication may begin to have a positive effect on one’s mood or overall disposition after a few weeks, so it’s vital to keep up with the medication even when you see improvement. Always consult with your doctor before you stop taking medication.

Christian counseling for depression

Sue Mosteller once wrote “When we know the pain of abandonment, loss, or rejection, there is hope for us as well… We need patience and a deep respect for the time it takes to grieve our real losses and to own them as our own. We need lots of time and support to give up our expectation that someone can erase or change what actually happened that wounded us. We need to share and ask for support in our network of friends, of family, church, or community where people will not be scandalized when they hear that our once cherished relationships are complicated, difficult, less than perfect, or gone altogether. And gradually, when the time is right, we need encouragement to step through and beyond our grief into new and renewed relationships of trust, where we once again recover our ability to care for others and our sense of humor.”

These wise words remind us that working through some things in life is a process that takes time and concerted effort. We need the support and encouragement of others to work through those areas of pain to arrive at that place of renewal and change. Sometimes, people of faith judge themselves harshly for feeling depressed. Christian counseling is a safe, nonjudgmental space where with the help of a trained counselor you can work through the pain, fear, uncertainties that depression brings in its wake. It is a space where you can start the slow walk back to health by being empowered to make choices that will enliven you while rejecting and resisting what doesn’t. You can also become aware of and relinquish untrue and unhelpful ways of understanding and dealing with depression. You don’t have to walk alone in this dark valley of depression. Don’t hesitate to contact us to find out more about Christian counseling for depression, or to book an appointment with a counselor who will walk with you on your journey to wholeness.