Shedding the Burden of Stigma and Shame: Toward an Understanding of Depression in a Faith-Based Community.
"A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit, who can bear?" (Prov. 18vs.14)
If you are able to "snap out of it and pull yourself up by the bootstraps" or if you can "stop feeling sorry for yourself and get busy with the Lord's work," you are not struggling with a clinical depression.
Clinical depression is a complicated illness. Unlike most other illnesses, depression affects the whole person; that is, the body, mind and the spirit. Other illnesses produce a set of symptoms that look the same for everyone, but the symptoms of depression or anxiety are not physically visible. Those afflicted may experience a wide range of physical complaints but they are not taken seriously and often dismissed as "all in their head." Indeed, depression does distort our thoughts, and one's ability to manage our emotions is definitely affected. However, clinical depression manifests itself as an organic illness of the brain and is no longer seen as the result of some personal inadequacy. As a result, we need to manage it differently. We need to restore the physical health of the brain through medication, provide counselling as required and provide spiritual support from our church family.
What is most distressing about this condition is the intensity of the emotional and mental pain that is the hallmark of depression, but these are the very symptoms that most of us fear reporting. When a depression is really serious, the sufferer may not even be able to recognize that they have an illness that requires treatment. They may feel ashamed and powerless to do anything about it, resigning themselves to a sense of hopelessness. As Christians, they may be convinced that they have committed some unpardonable sin and that God has abandoned them. The inability to recognize that their despair is actually a symptom of the illness and not a sign of spiritual or moral weakness is one of the major reasons that depression doesn???t get recognized as early as it should.
What are some of the beliefs that seem to contribute to the shame and embarrassment of the struggling believer? By far, the greatest barriers to getting help are the misperceptions that we "buy" into. We still hang onto the old belief that depression is something you should "snap out" of; the old "just pull yourself up by the bootstraps" kind of thinking. It is believed that if you did some hard "sin-searching" work, you could beat this thing on your own. Consequently, depression continues to be misunderstood as the affliction of those who are either morally weak or lacking a strong enough faith to sustain them through life's trials. Yet, if we are to be of any comfort to our struggling brothers and sisters within the church community, we must acknowledge that being a believer does not protect us from depression or anxiety any more than being a believer protects us from physical infirmities.
Since Christians tend to view their distress as the reflection of a spiritual deficit within themselves, they are often more resistant to taking medications, or stop taking them when confronted with criticism. Often, we also assume that their emotional distress is the result of being "out of sorts" with their faith. How unfortunate! We would never treat someone who was taking medication for a physical illness that callously. Indeed, the intense guilt such Christians may experience often has them desperately scouring Scriptures for a solution to their pain. Well-meaning friends may compound the problem by telling them to search the word more diligently, or remind them that they should count their blessings. Although well intended, such advice only prolongs the illness. This advice is also impossible to follow since depression interferes with one???s ability to focus on the positive things in life and this only leads to feelings of more hopelessness and spiritual alienation from God and the church family.
As well as the myth that one can just "snap out" of a depression, there is also a myth that says that someone who is depressed is "just feeling sorry for himself and looking for attention." You have all heard that one at some time, right? Unfortunately, when fellow Christians struggle with depression, we accuse them of seeking attention. We feel that by hanging onto past hurts they are not trusting in the Lord, but the depressed are already hard enough on themselves and are more aware, than ever, of every sinful thing that they have done. They need our prayers and not our judgment.
Another roadblock to getting help is the suspicion of psychiatric treatments. In Christian circles, especially, the discipline of psychiatric medicine is associated with Freudian notions, but these atheistic and amoral teachings are now quite outdated and no longer represent the mainstream of psychiatric interventions. Any self-respecting medical doctor and psychiatrist would work with a person's faith and not deliberately undermine a patient's faith. Also, medications are now used as a way of improving one's thoughts and not as a way of controlling a patient's thoughts. A racing and cluttered mind has difficulty making progress with emotional and spiritual healing and today's medications don't induce an artificial high or change a personality. They simply restore what was normal for the person.
Lastly, many of us find that discussions about negative emotions are uncomfortable and something to be avoided. There is a kind of unspoken view that emotions are inherently bad and talking about them is frivolous. This attitude creates another barrier for the depressed to scale. Indeed, emotions do have to be managed properly, but they are also a gift that can signal and thus serve to protect us when things aren't right or fair. Keeping our emotional struggles to ourselves only reinforces what we call the "health and wealth" gospel. This myth perpetuates the belief that says, "God helps those who help themselves." This, of course, is not a scriptural quote but a reflection of the doctrine of stoicism and false pride in one's own ability to cope with whatever comes his way. Stoicism and self-sufficiency are qualities we associate with the "self made" man and are not character traits that complement those of Christian humility and service.
The strong among us must communicate their weaknesses. External masks of perfection only add to the burden of those already heavy laden. There is so much to give and to gain when we can be transparent with one another. It sends the message that it's okay not to have it "all together." We live in a broken world in which we need the communion of saints, not only in good times but also in dark times. Toxic comments such as: "it's a sin to be down or anxious", or "medication is from the devil," can only be challenged with knowledge, and it is our responsibility to become knowledgeable.
Rather than abandon their faith, many of the depressed and anxious among us find that they have become more dependant on God's grace. Since they were unable to rely on their own strength, they prayed for divine strength. Once they are well and their normal perspective has returned, they never again take their emotional health for granted nor do they, ever again, look down on others with similar afflictions.
Rita Van Dooren
The information and suggestions that are provided are not intended to take the place of talking to someone you trust to share your struggles. This could be a friend, family member, or a pastoral worker. Please contact us if you need advice on whether professional Christian Counselling would be helpful.
