Depression

Introduction. Many people suffer from an emotional state we call depression. The CDC (“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”) in a study published in 2010 studied 235,000 people in the US, and found…

·         4% suffered from “Major depression”—Defined in this way—More than half of the days considered in the study they felt at least five of the following: 1) “little interest or pleasure in doing things” or 2) “feeling down, depressed, or hopeless”. The other criteria are: 3) “trouble falling asleep or staying asleep or sleeping too much,” 4) “feeling tired or having little energy,” 5) “poor appetite or overeating,” 6) “feeling bad about yourself or that you were a failure or let yourself or your family down,” 7) “trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television,” and 8) “moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed…or the opposite: being so fidgety or restless that you were moving around a lot more than usual.”

·         5% Suffer from “Other depression”—Defined as…– If they met two, three, or four of the eight criteria for major depression, including at least 1 of the following 1) “little interest or pleasure in doing things” or 2) “feeling down, depressed, or hopeless.”

·         9% Suffer from “Any depression.”

There were a few interesting tendencies in this:

·         Age: Largest numbers 18-24 and 45-64.

·         Gender: Women more than men.

·         Marital status: Previously married, and single more than married.

What can the Bible teach us about this problem, and if it plagues us, how to overcome it?

I. The Word “Depression.”

A.    Most translations do not contain the word “depressed” or “depression.”

1.      Even in English, its use of an emotional condition is relative recent > lit. a bringing down of status, height, or spirits.

2.      The result has come to stand for the condition. One brought down in spirit is “depressed.”

B.     Only used in NKJV (Prov. 12:25).  

1.      Heb. shachah  Lit. “prostrate” KJV “to stoop.”

2.      What we think of as depression is not the result but the cause “anxiety in the heart”—KJV “heaviness in the heart.”

C.     Heaviness of heart in Scripture.   

1.      Job was heavy because of his losses and physical distress (Job 9:27).

2.      David was heavy because of mistreatment (Psalm 69:18-21).

3.      Paul was heavy because of the condition of others (Rom. 9:1-5).

4.      Peter speaks of those heavy because of trials (1 Pet. 1:6-8).

§  Today we call this depression.

II. What Causes Depression?

A.    Life isn’t what it should be.

1.      Disappointment.

2.      Health.

B.     People have hurt us.

C.     Sadness and loss.

D.    Our own sin.

III. Biblical Solutions for Depression.

A.    Meditation on God’s word (Psa. 119:25-28).

B.     Pray and cultivate gratitude (Phil 4:6-7).

C.     Don’t let emotion control you (Prov. 16:32). True of anger and heaviness.

D.    “A good word” (Prov. 12:25).

1.      Seek sources of encouragement and be a source to others.

2.      Refresh others (1 Cor. 16:17-18)

C. Repentance (2 Cor. 7:8-11).

D. Focus on heaven (Phil. 3:12-14).