by Bonnie Doran “It’s organic, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” My shoulders sagged as I absorbed my doctor’s statement. My problem was not burnout, PMS, or low thyroid; my problem was chronic depression. I had suffered from mild depression for years. At times I denied the problem and fought it like…
Read moreYear: 2010
What to Do If You’re Depressed
If you think you’re depressed, be sure to get help: See your doctor. He can test for illnesses that can cause depression, such as low thyroid, mononucleosis, anemia, diabetes, and hepatitis. He can also prescribe antidepressant medication. Talk to a pastor. The most effective treatment for depression is a combination of medication and psychotherapy….
Read moreIs Depression Sin?
The Bible never says it is a sin to be depressed. Several strong men in the Bible who followed God became depressed: the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19); David, who wrote many of the psalms (Psalms 42, 43, and others); even the perfect Jesus (Matthew 26:38). So to be depressed is not the same as…
Read moreFacts about Depression
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 17 million Americans suffer from depressive illness each year. About twice as many women are affected as men. Although medication and psychotherapy can help 80 to 90 percent of depressed people, only one third of them will seek treatment. Depression is likely present when a…
Read moreChoosing a Therapist
Early in my career, a concerned 22-year-old mother named Karen approached me and asked if her daughter’s imaginary friend was an early sign of “insanity.” There was a history of mental illness in the family, and she was extremely distressed by her daughter’s sudden insistence that an extra place be set at the dinner table…
Read moreGetting My Life Back
The sickness and redemption of a paranoid schizophrenic. by Michael Mulvihill as told to David Kidd I sat in a corner of the mental hospital, my legs shaking up and down. Diagnosed with alcoholic’s psychosis, I was considered clinically insane. I thought the nurses were trying to poison me. I had hallucinations of the…
Read moreGet a Grip!
Betty J. Johnson Life is a deep black hole and I’m stuck. Physical problems bombard my body — or do they exist only in my mind? I’m drowning in a sea of pain and confusion. Where do I turn for help? This morning I read a Bible scripture which reminds me to have faith…
Read moreDeliverance from Depression
Identifying the real problems thatrob a person of peace and joy. by Maire Rogevich The hospital emergency room bustled with activity around nine o’clock on a weeknight. My mother and father checked me in to triage. I stood between them, my body feeling weaker and weaker, my eyelids fluttering open and closed. I could…
Read moreDare to Defeat Depression
How to find handles when you’re losing your grip. by JoAnn Reno Wray Janice [1] opened the closet door, knelt, pushed shoes aside, and crawled into the farthest corner, shutting the door behind her. In the dark, she grabbed a stack of folded sweaters, pulled them on top of her body, and curled into…
Read moreBeyond the Baby Blues
Finding the courage to cope. by Kathryn Cox Love him, my mind demanded. Tears dripped from my chin, wetting a pale blue nightgown I still wore late afternoon. The stubbornness of my heart forced me to accept the unthinkable: I don’t feel anything; I can’t love him. Through swollen eyes, I gazed into the…
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