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| Depression Information |
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More Than You Can Handle?
There's a dangerous illness afflicting women everywhere across the nation. It's linked to considerable physical and mental suffering. It disrupts millions of lives, decreasing productivity and contributing to marital stress, absenteeism, loss of income, and disability. It is depression. Depression may not be as obvious as a broken leg, but it's just as real and just as painful. It's a complicated "whole body" illness that affects the way you eat, sleep, think, behave, and feel. It's a very treatable condition, so there is no need to suffer with it. Unfortunately, within the Christian community, there are four common misconceptions about this illness, which make it difficult for many to seek the help they need. These myths are: 1) God doesn't give us more hardship than we can handle. 2) Good Christians don't get depressed. 3) Depression is sin. 4) We're useless when we're depressed. Many well meaning people tell the depressed person that God doesn't give you more than you can handle, so He must think you can bear whatever He has dumped in your lap. People who think this way claim that this idea is taught in 1 Corinthians 10:13. What this verse actually says is that you will not have any temptation that isn't common to men, and that God will not allow you to encounter any temptation to sin without also providing a way for you to avoid that temptation. In other words, God won't let you be tempted when there is no way you can resist sinning. Does God allow his people to be burdened beyond what they're able to bear? Paul wrote these very words in his second letter to the Corinthian church. He said, "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life." (1 Corinthians 1:9) Paul's difficulties were too much for him. If God doesn't give more than a person can bear, He certainly would not have excessively overburdened the apostle Paul, would He? Paul was suicidal and no longer wanted to live. That's about as depressed as you can get, so how can anyone say that Christians don't or shouldn't get depressed? Paul was a leader of the Christian church. If he got depressed, can we expect to be immune to depression? But don't despair about that, because Paul wrote, "But He (God) delivered us and He will deliver us." Even if the situation ends in death, God delivers His people. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:16-22, "The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed . . . and I was delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me . . . and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom." God helps us through tough times IF we allow Him to handle things and give Him room to work. Paul said "When I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10) Some of God's greatest leaders suffered from depression. There was the prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 19:4, it says, "He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. 'I have had enough, LORD,' he said,' Take my life.'" David, the "man after God's own heart," got depressed. The book of Psalms is filled with expressions of his depression. He wrote, "I am laid low in the dust." (Psalm 119:25) "I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. I groan because of the turmoil of my heart."(Psalm 38:6,8 - NKJV) In Psalm 6:3 he says, "my soul is in anguish." Verses 6 and 7 say, "I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow." King Soloman wrote in Proverbs 18:14, "The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?" Others in the Bible who may have experienced depression include Job, Jonah, and Jeremiah (called "the weeping prophet"). Nowhere does the Bible call depression sin. 2 Corinthians 7:6 says God comforts the depressed; He doesn't condemn them. Depression is an illness. A person cannot talk themselves out of it any more than they can talk themselves out of Chicken Pox, Diabetes, or Cancer. Rather than being useless when in the throes of depression, we can be very useful to God when we have more than we can handle. It's at those times when we are at the end of our own strength that God can work best through us. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul wrote, "He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." When God allows trials to come into our lives, Peter says it's "so that your faith will be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6,7) God's strength takes over and gets us through, when we've reached the point of more than we can handle on our own. ( John 15:5 says, "Apart from me you can do nothing.) This is why Paul boasted about his weaknesses instead of trying to hide them. He acknowledged that he had no strength himself, yet he was more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37) by God's strength and power, which worked through him. Depression can be a struggle, but I've found that it can also be a gift. The person who has experienced it can help others through it. Only one who knows first hand how it feels to despair of life can offer compassion and understanding to a fellow sufferer. This kind of empathy is not possible for someone who has never felt for themselves the hopelessness of depression. Author Marsha Jordan is founder of a nonprofit charity called Hugs and Hope for Sick Children (http://www.hugsandhope.org). More of her articles on depression are in her book, Hugs, Hope, and Peanut Butter, a compilation of encouraging essays illustrated with drawings by critically ill children. Proceeds from book sales will benefit kids battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Other essays in the book include, "Ten Tips For Beating Depression," and "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayer?" Order the book or learn more at http://www.hugsandhope.org/book.htm
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Alternative Medicine More Than You Can Handle? There's a dangerous illness afflicting women everywhere across the nation. It's linked to considerable physical and mental suffering. It disrupts millions of lives, decreasing productivity and contributing to marital stress, absenteeism, loss of income, and disability. It is depression. 5 Way Tips To Manage Depression Being lonely is a normal share of our everyday lives. We get sad when we fail in our exams, when we are rejected by the individual we love, or even when someone extremely close to us passes away. Depression, however, might be even more calamitous than just plain loneliness. It may render life-long effects that may ruin your self-esteem, health, and well-being. Fighting Depression by Restoring Your Routines When we have depression, one of the things we drop from our lives is a routine. Most humans need routine as it adds structure to our lives. During bouts of depression we find it hard to go about our daily lives with a sense of purpose and direction. Restoring your routines will help to counteract this problem. Recognizing Depression Depression is a serious issue. There are simply hundreds of thousands of people who deal with depression on a daily basis. Are you one of them? Do you know someone that may be? How can you recognize the signs of depression? How can you help someone who may be facing depression within their lives? Depression And Celiac Disease Depression is a condition which affects about 15% of the population. Women are more likely to be affected than men. Senate Finance Committee Delays FDA Approval of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy for Depression On June 15th, 2004, FDA's Medical Devices Panel recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approve vagus nerve stimulation as a therapy for chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression. I was at the meeting, seated in the first row and made a presentation to the Panel. How Do You Know if You Have Manic-Depression Nancy was doing very well until about two years ago when Phil, her boyfriend of 9 years, broke-up with her. It was a difficult moment for her especially after she learned that Phil eventually married her cousin. Since then, Nancy had deteriorated. One evening, she was involved in a motor vehicular accident because she was driving fast and recklessly in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Depression Explained Depression is a mental state marked by melancholy, pessimism or dejection. Depression can also be defined as a psychotic condition characterized by stuporous withdrawal from reality and intense guilt feelings. Depression is Underdiagnosed in College Students Everyone feels down or blue once in awhile. Especially during difficult times, it's normal to feel sad or discouraged. But when those feelings persist for two weeks or longer, it could be depression. It's a common illness that affects an estimated 19 million Americans-that's nearly one in ten! It's also one of the most under-diagnosed illnesses on college campuses. The symptoms can come on so slowly that one day, a person realizes that he can't remember the last time he felt good. Here are some warning signs for depression: Major Symposium About Vagus Nerve Stimulation & Depression at the American Psychiatric Association A major symposium about vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for chronic or recurrent depression will be presented at the American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting in May. This is the largest gathering of psychiatrists in the world and over 25,000 psychiatrists will be in attendance. Control Your Own Level of Motivation When I first mention this to most people, they really don't get it, so here is a simple formula for keeping your moods upbeat. 5 Surefire Tips to Beat Depression Now Being lonely is a normal part of our everyday lives... We get sad when we fail in our exams, when we're rejected by the person we love, or when someone very close to us passes away. To Long Term Care Professionals: How to Dramatically Improve your Residents Psychiatric Care Long term care facilities and residents' doctors should consider combining medication treatment with psychological and behavioral approaches, such as strength-embedded psychotherapy, for a range of psychological disorders. ADHD and Depression -- More Common Than Thought "Thanks for Noticin' Me" says Eeyore. He walks slowly. He looks sad. He doesn't accomplish much. He's just glad to be noticed. This is Eeyore, the stuffed donkey who is so often in need of his tail being pinned back on. Mental Health Stigma What Can We Do About It? What is Stigma? Manic Depressive Episodes And Scientology Scientologists believe that chemical imbalances do not exist. In their view manic episodes should be treated with periods of introspection and audits; a notion which is particularly bizarre and scientifically untenable. What's The Latest on Suicide Risk and Antidepressants For Children? FDA confirms some antidepressants increase suicide risk in some children. In February of 2004, two advisory committees of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended that the FDA warn practitioners about the possible risk of suicide potential associated with antidepressant treatment in children. The information was obtained from clinical trials of medications with children, expert witnesses on suicide research, testimony from families of suicide victims, as well as from those whose children had benefited from antidepressant medication. Andropause and Depression Andropause correlates directly with depression a major player in the notorious mid-life crisis period men face in their late 40´s to late 50´s. There are a wide variety of symptoms and conditions hormone-wrecked men experience during this mid-life transition everything from the mental (i.e. irritability) to the physical (loss of libido, lack of energy, and weight gain.) Depression, left untreated, can be a disabling condition. Depression - Causes and Treatments Depression has long been considered a character flaw indicative of morally weak minded individuals. However, new research clearly shows that depression has distinct biochemical roots that affect the way nerve cells work. It is an illness which can be accurately diagnosed and treated successfully in the vast majority of cases. Through the recognition of causes and knowledge of the treatments, those suffering from depression are able to preserver and overcome their illness. Cure Against Depression and Low Self Confidence Depression strikes most of us and it can make us paralysed. It is essential that we do not let it get too much influence on our lives.
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