Dealing With Depression
Worship: Joy In The Morning by Tauren Wells
Worship: Won't Be Long Now - Blessing Offor
Scriptures:
- Lamentations 3:1-8
- 1 Kings 19:3-8
- Psalms 42:11
- Psalm 34:17-18
- Philipians 4:8
- Ecclesiastes 9:11
- Matthew 7:24-27
Introduction
Lamentations 3:1-8
1 I am the man who has seen misery Because of the rod of His wrath. 2 He has driven me and made me walk In darkness and not in light. 3 Indeed, He has turned His hand against me Repeatedly all the day. 4 He has consumed my flesh and my skin, He has broken my bones. 5 He has besieged and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. 6 He has made me live in dark places, Like those who have long been dead. 7 He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy. 8 Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer.
Jeremiah speaking as Israel
- The “He” here is … God
- “I” is Israel
Has anyone ever felt like this?
Today we’re going to talk about depression
"Depression is the biggest club, but its biggest trick is convincing everyone that they are the only member.
…
Everyone thinks that the things they’ve been through are the worst."
-- Jake Taylor (TEDx speaker)
Depression Facts
- Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year.
- And one in six people (16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their life.
- Women are more likely than men to experience depression.
- Religious and spiritual people have less depression than others
- Based on 444 studies
Depression is not
- Weakness
- A sin
- Your identity
Lecrae’s Journey Into Depression
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBkECGGv_2O/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
We all get depressed at times
Outline:
- Introduction
- Defining Wholeness
- What is Depression?
- Causes of Depression
- Suicide
- Practical Solutions
- Renew Your Mind
- Helping Others
- Spiritual Foundation
Defining Wholeness
Wholeness is about being _______ healthy
- spiritually
- emotionally
- mentally
Free from oppression of
- Our past
- Bad thinking
- Strongholds
- The enemy
We’re talking about
- dealing with life’s current stresses
- being healed from experiences/wounds of the past
We’re promised eternal life
- We’re also supposed to have: joy, peace, patience, and self control here on earth
Through this 5 year series we have identified traits that we defined as the goal for wholeness
Traits of Wholeness
- Authenticity
- Honesty
- Kindness
- Behavior not influenced by external approval / validation
- Living by values and principles
- Setting Boundaries
- Taking ownership of your responsibilities
- Living with purpose and passion
- Optimism
- Confidence
- Not losing control of your emotions
- Free from addictions
- Addressing Conflict with truth and love
- Vulnerability
- Not critical or Judgemental
- Not jealous of others
- Forgive those who have wronged you in the past
- Know that you’re worthy of receiving love
- Not afraid to fail
- Able to manage irrational fear, worry, and anxiety
- Selfless encounters with others
- Not manipulating others trying to control their actions
- You care about how others feel
- Patient
- Don’t give into peer/social pressure
- Can communicate without antagonizing others
- Recognize, manage, and take responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings
- Slow to anger
- Ability to maturely express your wants, needs and desires
- Can listen without reacting
- Can respect others without having to change them
- Can function well… Alone or with others
- Able to take responsibility for our own destiny in life
- Able to maintain a non-anxious presence in the midst of anxiety and stress
- Able to ask for what they need want or prefer clearly, directly and honestly
- Has the capacity to resolve conflict maturely
- Being led by the Spirit
What is Depression?
Depression is a common mental health condition that is characterized by a low mood or loss of pleasure or interest in activities for long periods of time.
Depression is feeling of
- Sadness
- lack of motivation
- Hopelessness
- Helplessness
- Powerlessness
- Worthlessness
“What’s the use…”
I can’t even count on myself
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxMf8a71RVT0NABzpvb6_-8XYMWX2opi0v?si=x1Guq_aYRAcz1uAb
Being depressed versus having depression
- Major depressive disorder
- Clinical depression
Being depressed — better phrased as feeling sad — is a temporary and normal reaction to events that have caused you some sort of emotional pain.
Depression is a long-term mental illness that’s characterized by intense feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness or despair. These intense feelings are often paired with self-harming, destructive or manipulative behaviors.
Signs of Depression
D-epressed mood
E-nervy loss - fatigue
P-leisure loss - things that were previously pleasurable
R-etardation - slowed activity
E-ating change - increase or decrease in appetite
S-leep changed - less than usual, tossing and turning; more than 10 hours and still not rested
S-uicidal thoughts
I-am a failure - lack of confidence
O-nly me to blame - guilt
N-o concentration
Major Depression
Having 5 of the symptoms you have major depression
- At least 2 weeks
- Must include
- Depressed mood
- Inability to experience pleasure in anything
- Represent a change in your previous level of functioning
It usually comes and goes naturally within 3-12 months
Mild depression
2 to 4 of the depressed symptoms
Last at least 2 weeks
——-
Recovery doesn’t mean zero symptoms
Common Symptoms of Depression
Three symptoms that most depressed people have
- Low motivation in combination with fatigue
- Hopelessness or helplessness
- Indecisiveness
Low motivation with fatigue
This is what makes people not want to get out of bed or do important things.
It is hard for a non-depressed person to lay in bed unstimulated all day
Sometimes they have the TV on but they aren’t really watching it
They could be asleep or ruminating on negative situations
Depression versus laziness
Laziness means you don’t want to do anything.
- With depression you can’t.
- In your head everything is hard and takes a tremendous effort
A less extreme version of this may be… Failing to follow through on job applications
- Or you are late or produce low quality end the product
Hopelessness or helplessness
“I will never see the light at the end of this tunnel… Because someone has blown up the tunnel“
Helplessness makes you feel incapable of doing anything for yourself
Indecisiveness
You get easily overwhelmed having to think about options
- So you may not be able to get started with a plan
The effort to analyze the situation and see how much it affects you… It’s too much to work through
You may doubt yourself so much that you don’t trust your own judgment
Other things that look like depression
Many of these symptoms could also be:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Lyme disease
- Lack of sleep (e.g. sleep apnea)
- PTSD
- Burn out
- being in a funk because of situational factors
Depression Is Different From Sadness or Grief
It is normal for feelings of sadness or grief to develop in response to
- Death of a loved one
- Loss of job
- Ending a relationship
- Being a victim of a physical assault
- Being the victim of a major disaster
But being sad is not the same as having depression. The grieving process is natural and unique to each individual and shares some of the same features of depression. Both grief and depression may involve intense sadness and withdrawal from usual activities.
They are also different in important ways:
- In grief, painful feelings come in waves, often intermixed with positive memories of the deceased. In major depression, mood and/or interest (pleasure) are decreased for most of two weeks.
- In grief, self-esteem is usually maintained.
- In major depression, feelings of worthlessness and self-loathing are common.
- In grief, thoughts of death may surface when thinking of or fantasizing about “joining” the deceased loved one. In major depression, thoughts are focused on ending one’s life due to feeling worthless or undeserving of living or being unable to cope with the pain of depression.
Grief and depression can co-exist.
For some people, the loss can lead to depression. When grief and depression co-occur, the grief is more severe and lasts longer than grief without depression.
Burnout Vs Depression
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrQfuFIsJKE/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Life
A Terrible Life
Are you depressed or do you have a terrible life?
- “Having depression“ is a mental disorder
- If you have a terrible life… You are having a normal reaction to having a terrible life
Life changes
Example: friend thought she was depressed
- Moved
- Married
- New Job
Causes of Depression
Physical Causes
Nutrition
- Unhealthy diet
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Lack of sunlight
- Chronic pain
Biochemical
- Hormonal Issues
- Serotonin, Oxytocin, Dopamine, Endorphins
- Thyroid imbalance
- Imbalance in estrogen or testosterone
Lack of sleep
“ it is impossible to treat someone for depression if they don’t keep a regular sleep pattern“
– – Jordan Peterson (psychologist)
Circumstances
- Relationship end
- Death
- Loss of job / finances
- Traumatic experience
Environment
You don’t feel
- Safe
- Empowered
Personality / Mindset
- low self-esteem
- easily overwhelmed by stress
- generally pessimistic
Spiritual
- See no meaning to life
- Loss of faith in God
- unbiblical expectations
Religion is generally related to less depression (and suicide) and predicts a faster remission from depression over time
Bonelli R, Dew RE, Koenig HG, Rosmarin DH, Vasegh S. Religious and spiritual factors in depression: review and integration of the research. Depress Res Treat. 2012;2012:962860. doi: 10.1155/2012/962860. Epub 2012 Aug 15. PMID: 22928096; PMCID: PMC3426191.
Example: Pentecostals 3X more depressed
- studies have found that Pentecostals are three times more likely to experience major depression than other Christians
- Study by Meador et al. (1992)
* I believe it’s the doctrine
- Prosperity focus
- Promise of 100% health and wealth
- Demon caused illnesses
Demons
Depression isn’t a demon
Demons influence you with lies
- I’m alone
- God doesn’t love me
- God hasn’t forgiven me
- God has rejected me
- Nobody loves me
- My life isn’t worth living
Comparison
Silver vs Bronze Medal
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRvwW3CY/
Suicide
Depression makes you think that ending your life wouldn’t just be best for you… It would be best for everybody
Suicidal Thoughts
https://youtu.be/5LVSDS5wt84?si=RNqvGbTofSI3PIDW
Werther effect
A well-documented phenomenon around the world, the Werther Effect refers to the identified rise in suicide rates following well-publicised reports of deaths by suicide of celebrities or other well-known figures in the media.
- When Marilyn Monroe committed suicide it increased 12%
Suicide Facts
- Death by suicide is 4 times as frequent in men than in women
- Suicide rate of single persons is twice that of those who are married
- Divorce, separated or widowed individuals have rates 4 to 5 times higher than married individuals
- Alcohol abuse or dependence is present in 25% to 50% of those who died by suicide
Religion
Some religions view suicide as honorable to prevent shame from coming to the family
Some Christians view suicide as an unforgivable sin
- Suicide is not the unforgivable sin
Active vs Passive Suicidal Thoughts
https://youtube.com/shorts/-IkLej8x6SM
- Active suicidal thinking is when you think through a plan
“do you actually want to die or do you just not want to feel like this anymore“?
Practical Solutions
Get Up and Eat Elijah
1 Kings 19:3-8
3 And he was afraid, and got up and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked for himself to die, and said, “Enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5Then he lay down and fell asleep under a broom tree; but behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat!” 6And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a round loaf of bread baked on hot coals, and a pitcher of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7But the angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him, and said, “Arise, eat; because the journey is too long for you.” 8So he arose and ate and drank, and he journeyed in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
- He slept
- He ate
- He drank
- He got up to accomplish something
- Went to be in God’s presence
God Fed Elijah and Let Him Sleep
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxoLagj8GBpErlJMYbhSHurfbqt0Nhx9NY?si=DdYLfqTOGOY4zdLS
Example: Baby crying
- He’s sleepy
Sleep optimization
- Less than 6 hours per night can worsen/cause depression
- Wear blue light blocking glasses 2 hours before bedtime
Other tips
- Get out of bed and shower
- Get some sunlight
- Get your circadian rhythms resynced
- Write down your thoughts
- Set boundaries and minimize exposure to negative and stressed out people.
- Do something that cheers you up
- Set small goals
- Example: Brush teeth and shower
- 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise
- Change diet
- Mediterranean diet
- Go into nature
- Watching nature shows
- Aroma therapy
Get Some Rest - Creflo
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsrXbJMq1wZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Antidepressant
Antidepressants only work for about a third of the people who have depression
Because most antidepressants only deal with
- Serotonin levels
- Dopamine
- Norephinepherine
Her Story
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxmLymrpzftXmZCEFreNpOXrkk20I4FavV?si=1B0m_AnofSej7_Kh
Preach to yourself
Psalms 42:11
Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God.
Affirmations
Memory verses
Psalm 34:17-18
17The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears
And rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Renew Your Mind
Thinking about your problems – Joe Rogan.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-n2sveSlgb/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Philipians 4:8
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Identify the lies with the enemy is attacking
Strongholds That Impact Your Depression
Examine the stated beliefs for…
All or nothing thinking
- “Everyone I know gets cancer”
- “It always…”
- “They never…”
- “Nobody cares about me…”
Emotional reasoning
- “I am angry therefore… Someone needs to be blamed“
The fallacy of fairness
Ecclesiastes 9:11
I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning, nor favor to the skillful; for time and chance overtake them all.
We think
- If I train and become fast…I should win the race
- If I train to be a warrior…I should win the fight
- If I’m wise…I should be rich
- If I’m skilled…I should do better
…it don’t always work like that
sometimes Life is not fair
It might be the healthiest, holiest, friendliest person who dies young
Control Fallacy
- anything that goes wrong is inherently your fault
- Or you feel completely out of control
Example: They died because of my sins
Are you taking on more responsibility and more self blame than is accurate?
Hope
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C514JqAgn8M/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Self Evaluation Questions
- What are the facts supporting and not supporting this belief that I have?
- What aspects of the situation do I have control over?
- What is the probability that my fear can come true?
Get Help
Get a therapist or friend who can help you break down the issue into smaller issues that you can think through
Small successes give you a more positive self image
- More positive self image give you the momentum for you to make to bigger successes
Helping Others
You woke up today because someone needs your help
- Angel
God may use what you learn in your storm to help someone else get through theirs
Spiritual Foundation
Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and its collapse was great.”
Have a habit of
- Reading your Bible.
- Prayer
- Attending church
The Presence of God
Example: my quiet time
Faith
Our fiercest battles are fought when we stick with all of our hearts to trust God so fully that we see every misfortune as something he permits, and wants to use to know him so richly that we turn to no Him and nothing else to experience what our soul so richly longs for. To love him so completely And with such consuming passion That we hate anything that comes between us and eagerly give it up.
That is the battle…
Do I trust God enough that I turn to him when things are going bad?
—Larry Cobb (Connecting)
God is the conductor
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cq9QX19sQmf/?igshid=ZjE2NGZiNDQ=
Instructor: Michael Leadon
References
Dealing With Depression - Part 2 (Suicide Prevention)
“I’m fine“ – learning to live with depression | Jake Taylor | TEDx Brighton
TEDx talks
At least 444 studies have now quantitatively examined these relationships. Of those, over 60% report less depression and faster remission from depression in those more R/S or a reduction in depression severity in response to an R/S intervention. In contrast, only 6% report greater depression.
Extra
Delatorro
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBgZbPUpQd5/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Negative voice is louder
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBZV4qrsqsU/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==
3 Models of Depression: Chemical imbalance.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrdkB42PL8u/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Room Temperature
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBZGJ_tMtHR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Naming your emotion
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DB9FHJPs51t/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Elijah, depression and suicide
Fuse youth
Depression and Anxiety
Anxiety is apprehension and fear about the future
Anxiety starts with a… “What if“
depression starts with a memory
- You let it go when you are free from it
- You come back to that memory
Depression and anxiety often co-occur
Having Anxiety and Depression
https://www.tiktok.com/@goaltoinspire/video/6894321673797963010
Because you’re hopeless and helpless you feel threatened
- This may activate your anxiety
Symptoms of Depression
Many of these symptoms could also be:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Lyme disease
- Lack of sleep (e.g. sleep apnea)
- PTSD
Affective symptoms
- Feeling sad or depressed
- Apathy - they don’t care about anything
- Low motivation
- Guilt
- “I should be doing something productive”
- Hopelessness/helplessness
- Mood vacillation
- Irritability
- Emotional dysregulation
- Suicidal thoughts
Physical symptoms
- Fatigue and slowing
- Reduced libido
- Testosterone, estrogen
- Blood sugar challenges
- Low blood pressure
- Dizziness especially standing
- Sleep challenges
- Eating and/or weight changes
- Reduced immunity
- Stress
- Cortisol suppresses your immune system - inflammation and pain (fight or flight response)
- Decreased pain tolerance
- Muscle aches
- Not moving around as much
- Headaches
- Vision changes
- One reason the world may seem gray when people are depressed is impaired contrast perception
- Your vision changes
- Difficulty focusing
- G.I. changes
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Caused by lack of serotonin
Cognitive signs of depression
- Difficulty concentrating
- Slowed thinking
- Problems with memory
- Just can’t think of the word
- Tip of your tongue
- Difficulty with decision making and judgment
- Negative attitude and perceptions/pessimism
- Personalization
- Rumination
- Unpleasant memories
- Nightmares
Interpersonal symptoms
When people are depressed it impacts the relationships with others as well as their self-esteem
- Low self-esteem
- We feel inadequate because we aren’t getting things done
- Isolation/withdrawal/emotional unavailability
- Intolerance
- Attention, want us to do something
- Lack of motivation to care
- Fear of rejection
- Increased dependence
- Disempowered
- Clingier
- More fearful of abandonment
- Erratic
- Consistency
- Responsiveness
- Attention
- Validation
- Difficult to validate a support other people
- Empathy
- Support
Suicide
Assessing Suicide Risk
After crises you either start to feel better or become suicidal within two days
Risk factors
Factors that increase suicide risk include:
- Communications of suicidal intent
- Prior suicide attempts
- Continued or heavier drinking
- Recent unemployment
- living alone
- Poor social support
- Legal and financial difficulties
- Serious medical or mental illness
- Personality disturbance
- Other substance use
How to Help Someone Suicidal
- Assess for danger/safety for self and others
- Reflection and empathy
- Hear what they have to say
- They are feeling out of control
- If someone else gets it there may be hope
- Address medical needs
- Build rapport by allowing them to tell their story
- Don’t take all their power away
- Understand not fixing
- Provide support through active and empathetic listening
- Bring the person to the present, describe future events
- What do you need right now?
- If someone is willing to make future plans… That is a good sign
- Provide referrals as needed
SAFER-R
Stabilize
Acknowledge what’s going on (don’t judge)
Facilitate understanding (for you and them)
Encourage adaptive coping
Restore functioning
- What’s the minimum you need to do?
Refer
