Depression is either a brain chemical disorder or a situational problem. sounds like yours is brain chemistry. Are you on meds? If not you need to talk to a professional. Don't let those "christian friends" of yours rock your faith. Remember how Job's friends treated him? Also, a lot of the Psalms were written by a depressed David.

I'm so sorry you are feeling badly and hope you will get the help you need. It may take diffierent tries for the meds and then you must stay on them , to start feeling better. Also you may want to see a therapist and do some talk therapy too. God Bless.

I am a firm believer, but depression is just something all of us humans experience. We are not perfect people and we will have our periods in life when we feel like we are out in the desert even though our God will never leave us. We go thru a valley in order to learn something. Seek professional help if you need to, but also take time to get closer to God...cry out to Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you. My prayers are with you

Hello! Thank you soooo much for your encouraging response. And yes, I've tried different meds; however, none of them have worked for me, in fact they made me feel worse. I've been seeing a therapist for about 2 months now, and I am truly blessed to have her in my life. I am also going for EMDR therapy, to help deal with my troubled childhood. I used to be against meds; however, I am open to anything that will help me to get better, so that I can go back to working.

I love the book of Psalms. And you are absolutely right about Job...his so-called friends treated him horrible.

Thanks again for your advice.

God Bless!!!

I'm praying for you! God bless you.

I think depression is a disease and that means as Christians we are not exempt. It is such a shallow reading of the Bible to think that we are going to be joyful every second of the day. To say nothing of when tragedy hits, or when we are suffering from things in our past.

I was depressed for many years for a whole variety of reasons, including crippling pain from Rheumatoid Arthritis. What helped me was getting on medications that helped the first disease, but also reading the Psalms. I just read last night that they show the whole range of human emotion. I know God showed me the following Scripture, and it helped with my healing, when I realized King David suffered from depression. If King David could suffer from it and still praise God, so could i.

"Why am I so depressed?
Why this turmoil within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
my Savior and my God" Psalm 42:5 HCSB

So please continue to get help from your therapist, but read the Psalms and the Bible. We all suffer in this world, and it is really a lie from the devil that our lives are going to be perfect. If pain and suffering is not part of the equation, then why did Jesus have to suffer and die? Why should we not follow in the footsteps of our Master and Savior?

I'm glad you are open to taking an anti-depressant, I am very impressed with them. I started prozac gosh maybe, I don't know but It helped. The kinda funny thing is I know of a couple of friends and a family member who also started an anti-depressant.

I saw a HUGE difference in them, I mean huge, one took celexa the rest prozac. Well, If they say Im going off I'm like "no don't I'll do anything you want me to do." lol I am so bad aren't I?? But goodness gracious did it make them happier.

I think different things affect people differently. I like to watch Joyce Meyer enjoying everyday life on tv and I am reading a multitude of her books. I too have always been a Christian and I felt like i had a good faith. until I stumbled onto her which got me reading her books which got me reading the Bible again, I had kinda quit (reading the Bible.).

I did buy the Amplified version and for me it is sooo much better. I actually really get into the Bible now and have to say "lisa you should go to bed." (Yup I talk to myself) (oh I also talk to God out loud too, I still feel funny doing it but those bible verses said out loud or written a few times pack one big punch) Just amazing.

I was always content with God but I did not know the relationship could go this deep. The guilt I carried around is gone!! I feel free now to be happy and joyful and have peace. The guilt was implanted by Satan
but it felt as real as if I had done something wrong.

Being home alone can get lonely after working 16 years. I shouldn't make light of my depression, I was bad, absolutely miserable. crying fits. looking at my family thinking how can they be happy when I am so miserable.. I didn't want to eat, I could not sleep I was a mess. But I got well thank God.. I strongly believe in the chemical imbalance of seretonin. I think this discovery has helped thousands and will go down in the history books as a huge scientific break through. message me anytime, it will get better. lisa

Oh, boy, can I relate to what you are saying. First of all, there is a stigma in the church world when it comes to depression. And depression makes you feel upset and unable to deal with life very well. Depression makes your mind see things in a negative way - it is rough. I know this because I am a Christian with depression. I am on a mini mission to help other women who also suffer from mental stuff and are striving to serve the Lord. I see alot of women in my church who suffer, but refuse to seek treatment.

Maybe you should not share your depression with people who don't understand; it will only make YOU feel worse. Depression is treatable - you are going to be OK. God Bless!

I can relate a lot to what you are saying to Some forms of mental illness are temporary and some are life long and caused by an imbalance in the brain. Can God heal us? Sure He can. Does He allow us to go through things for a reason? Yes He does. Your destiny and the plans that God has for your life are different from everyone else. You may have been chosen as someone that God wants to use in a special way to show His power through your illness.

To prove to people how powerful God is kinda like how God used Lazarus in the Bible. He sat back and let Lazarus die before He came back a few days later to raise him from the dead. In order to manifest the power of God. I have mental illness to. I take my medication and do what I am suppose to do so that I can live a normal healthy life. It doesn't mean that I don't have faith or that I am a weak Christian. I just use wisdom.Remember when the Bible was written they didn't know then what they know now about mental illness. There are some things that books like the battlefield of the mind by Joyce Meyers will be able to help with.

But if you need medication and Psychiatric help then by all means get the help that you need. If you had something wrong with your heart you would pray about it but you would also take medication for it. Treat you mental health the same way you treat your physical health. If you ever want to talk to someone that knows and understands what you are going through. I am here just send me a message or a friend request. I wish you all the best.

THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOO MUCH!!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH YOU'VE HELPED ME WITH MY CONDITION. I THANK THE LORD JESUS CHRIST FOR SENDING YOU GUYS MY WAY. YOU GUYS ARE HELPING ME IN HAVING A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON CHRISTIANS WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES. I SHOULDN'T BE ASHAMED, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING WITH ME. I HAVE TO REMIND MYSELF THAT NO SORROW GOES TO WASTE, THAT INCLUDES MINE.

THANKS LADIES!!!!!!!!

LOVE YOUR SISTER IN CHRIST JESUS!

I do not separate mental halth from physical health or vice versa. I believe when I was young society did, but the trend now is the understanding that health, well or ill involves both one's physical and one's mental being . I'd be wary of a physician who did not think this way.

There used to be this horrible stigma attached to illnesses that manifested themselves as predominately mental . I think that this notion was thrown out. Doctors are now looking at the human body as a holistic entity at least they should be. . Health is a combination of mind body spiritual social and so on.

But then I read Rose's comments and yours and maybe I am wrong? I thought the stigma was gone, but maybe I am a product of naivety and wishful thinking. Or maybe there is still misconception and stigma but it is dying out. My friends and acquaintnces totally understand and accept that health can't or should be separated from all of its components.

I love Art's thought on Joyce Meyer's book. I like all of her books. When I was at the height of my illness a book probably would have really helped after I started to stabilize.

I know of people who have put their animals on prozac. Amazing, turned them right around (the animals.) Lol I know you probably think I am a nut but that's okay I am. We have to get Lady for Christ laughing again and then I'll tell you about my german shepherd's experience with the seretonin uptake med.

My initial thoughts have both been mentioned -- that reading Psalms is a huge source of encouragement and strength. And secondly, that God loved Job so much that he allowed him to be tested to no end. God must know that you're an incredibly strong person, and maybe he's offering you an opportunity to have an amazing testimony to share and to help others with later? I think that God is closest to us during our difficult times -- for me, having a daily quiet time is key, otherwise I get grumpy and selfish and feel really distant from God. Sometimes I don't even want to have quiet time, because I feel like I won't get anything out of it. But every single time, I do. And God always uses it to tell me exactly what I need to hear. Keep pursuing Him; he never leaves you wanting more. :)

Sometimes it can be the church that is pushing you away from Jesus, with their insensitive views on depression. I visited my nan's church just before I left Australia a while ago, and I felt so put off by their judgmental questions about what I'm doing with my life. I wish I could go to church more but my husband works on Sundays, I know that is not a good excuse and I should go on his day off.

Depression is awful, I hope you can find a way to rid that from your life. I pray a lot to keep all evil away from my family and me, it's easy to get afflicted around here, and I also try to tell myself worrying doesn't add another day to my life. Take care

There is a song that God has been faithful to bring to my mind when I am feeling depressed and like God isn't there. I think it's Barlow Girl..."Alone"...."I cry out with no reply, I can't feel You by my side, but I'll hold tight to what I KNOW....Your here and I'm never alone." There are other lyrics and the appropriate one always jumps in my head when needed.

I've discovered that sometimes God lets insensitive or rude people make comments to you to get you to leave a church that isn't teaching God's truth or is doing something displeasing to God. Lots of times we like our church so much, we don't want to leave even though it's not a place where we can grow in the Lord. So God gives us an extra push to leave, knowing we'll go somewhere better.