Bible Study Can you overcome depression using the Bible?

[evenifigoalone]

When I have a bout with anxiety and panics, I'm not worried about anything in particular, I'm in an irrational state of mind because my mind is misfiring due to a chemical imbalance. That is different than worrying about finances or other day to day things. On the matter of day to day things, we are always to give them to God. But it would be impossible for many sufferers of anxiety/panic disorders to, in the moment, turn it over to God. Having been there and knowing what it was doing to both my mind and body (for weeks and weeks until medical help intervened) I am hard pressed to think that those anxieties (clinical) are on the same level as day to day worries.

That's how my work anxiety is: typically I'm not worried about anything when it happens. Work and serving customers seems to be a trigger, but I don't have any particular worries at the time it comes on. I don't usually get so far as to go into a state of panic, but that has happened once.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I think it's also quite helpful to note that depression, anxiety, etc really can be an illness caused by physiological means. For example, one of my long time friends had bad anxiety and depression. Her doctor did some tests and found out she has a thyroid problem--she now takes thyroid meds. Boom! Problem solved. She's doing much, much better now.

 

[thebibleworks]

I don't know how accurate it is, but in a few places I've seen a graphic showing brain scans of various mental/neurological conditions, including PTSD and ADHD and at least two others. (For example, in ADHD brain scans show how the brain literally shuts down in the frontal cortex when the individual tries to concentrate. For PTSD they show how the brain activates in various regions during a flashback episode.) Could probably find it if I did some digging.

I think psych meds and stuff have their place, but there's still a lot we don't know about how mental illness works and so meds don't all work the same for everyone. I've known a few people who say their mental health providers did a blood panel on them to determine if certain psych meds would work for them, apparently they can actually determine that by some test. Some people's bodies are resistant to the drugs on the market.

Me, I take a couple psych meds, haven't had a dosage change in like a year or two. I guess they work well enough. I've started seeing a counselor again due to my mild to moderate work anxiety.

Agreed. We will keep you in our prayers.