“Is being depressed a sin?”
One of our guest authors
dealt admirably with the question of the alleged “sinfulness” of grief back in
2014, and
much of what she said then applies to depression.
All other things being equal, experiencing depression is not a sin. Elijah, Jeremiah and other prophets
all described or experienced feelings that seem awfully familiar to a modern
depressive.
All Things Being Equal ...
Of course, all other things must actually be equal. It is important to know whether we are talking
about genuine depression or about something else entirely. There is an awful
lot of confusion out there on the subject.
People tend to say they are “depressed” when they are not. They are using the word in a vague, general
sense rather than with clinical accuracy. They mean, “I’m miserably unhappy,
and I’ve been that way for a long time. It’s significantly affecting my life.” They
do not generally mean, “I have some kind of diagnosable medical condition.”
Medical Conditions and Genetic Predispositions
Medical conditions and genetic predispositions are not sinful things. Even on the rare occasion where
you have somehow participated in causing them, they are still something that
happens TO you, not something you are consciously and deliberately inviting
into your life. Nobody sets out on a course of action with the express aim of
becoming depressed and debilitated. The argument may be made that someone who
smokes for forty years is sinning against themselves (and others) in so
doing. The cancer which often results may be said to be a consequence of sin, but cancer is not in itself sinful. Having
cancer does not put distance between men and God. Likewise, experiencing
depression may make you feel distant
from God, but there is no indication we can find in our Bibles that God has
actually withdrawn.
So then, what if my prolonged unhappiness has no basis in biochemistry? Well then, it is likely not
truly depression I am experiencing. Grief, guilt, disposition and the
consequences of undisciplined living are often mistaken for depression. But
depression is a disorder, while the things so frequently mistaken for it are
very orderly indeed.
Natural Sadness Triggers
Grief is natural. It is the human spirit operating correctly. Jesus was “a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief.” In
an fallen world, grief is both expected and appropriate. It is God’s way of
enabling us to deal with the consequences of sin without denial or escapism. The
solution to grief is not drugs, but time or a change of condition.
Guilt is natural. We are designed to feel miserable when
we do something wrong. Guilt is the alarm bell that tells me my conscience has
been violated, and something needs to be done about it. The solution to guilt
is not drugs, but confessing and being forgiven.
A melancholic disposition is natural. It is one of the four commonly recognized types of temperaments. People
often mistake introversion for depression, but it is quite common and perfectly
normal. Melancholics may be extra-susceptible to depression, but that does not
mean all melancholics are depressed. To the extent that there is a solution for
one’s normal state of being, it is to be careful not to engage in the sorts of
pastimes that occupy you with the tragedy and cruelty of the world. Leaving CNN
on blast 24/7 is poor practice for melancholics. I personally avoid the
news like the plague.
Undisciplined Living
Finally, the consequences of undisciplined living are what they are. They can produce a state of mind
easily mistaken for clinical depression. There is an easy way to test for this:
if you think you are experiencing depression, first eliminate from your life
all the lifestyle and environmental factors which may be making things worse. Get
regular exposure to the sun. Pick a
reasonable sleep schedule and stick to it. Eat
foods which are good for your system in
reasonable quantities, and get
regular exercise. Cut back on
social media. Clean up your
living environment. If you have responsibilities you’ve been putting off, make a list and
start working your way down it. Out-of-control living makes people
miserable, so remove all the potential sources of stress and sadness in your
regular schedule and see what results.
If you’re still feeling depressed after all that, then it’s worth looking into it more seriously. But
if it is genuine depression you’re dealing with, then don’t make things worse
by adding phantom guilt to the mix. Real depression is not a sin.
We (family and friends) find this exploration of remedies for depression most helpful.
ReplyDeletehttps://nutritionfacts.org/2018/04/03/the-best-diet-for-depression/
We, family and friends find this explanation f depression and its cure most helpful.
ReplyDeletehttps://nutritionfacts.org/2018/04/03/the-best-diet-for-depression/
The connection between inflammation and depression certainly sounds plausible. Inflammation is a far more serious health issue than many people realize.
Delete