Depression
Depression and spirituality, religion and God
Being spiritual or religious meant different things to different people, including believing in a higher purpose, a higher intelligence, a reason for existing, or God. Some people also belonged to a religion and church. The spiritual and religious people we talked to in particular sought a deeper reason for their depression.
As a Christian, he feels that all events have reasons, including depression, even if the reasons are not clear. (Played by an actor)
As a Christian, he feels that all events have reasons, including depression, even if the reasons are not clear. (Played by an actor)
As a Christian I believe there's got to be a reason behind everything and I don't know, I don't know, I haven't got to the bottom of that yet, and it may be that I won't. I thought originally that possibly I was, I was going to be used to help other fellow sufferers. Well, I started off on that track, but when it' sort of had to fall off'. I don't know, I haven't yet found the reason for me having the depression, but I don't fret over it, I think there has to be a reason.
Religion and spirituality could either support people's wellbeing or undermine it, depending on how people thought about their spirituality. Those who felt supported and helped by their spirituality believed in a loving, forgiving, benevolent higher power. This could be a wonderful source of comfort in depression. The trouble is that just as it is hard to feel connected to other people while depressed, it is difficult to feel connected to God. A leap of trust and faith is frequently needed to be spiritual while depressed.
As a Catholic gay male, his Christianity has been a great source of comfort, and he has never been condemned because of his sexuality by any church.
As a Catholic gay male, his Christianity has been a great source of comfort, and he has never been condemned because of his sexuality by any church.
But yes, my, my Christian faith, which I've had for, you know well, since baptism of it in practise. It has come into play more when things have been black with depression and all the other unhappinesses. And it's been a great source of solace because I believe personally that the love of God is there and unchangeable and never goes away no matter what I do. He made me like this. He knew what he was doing. He made me and he loves me. I get myself into scrapes. Other people get me into scrapes but at the end of the day, he is always there.
And to take that one stage further although as a gay man the Catholic Church isn't, is not in favour of homosexuality and views it with some rancour, and views it as a sin... I have never ever had condemnation direct or implicit from a priest or any congregation in any Catholic Church I have ever worshipped in. Far from it, one priest in particular, no in fact all of them in their very different ways from young men to, to much older men, have all of them in their ways been very loving and caring and supportive both to me and my partner through the bad times as well as the good. And yes, they've been very loving and very caring in the ways that I think our Lord would have expected. And the cant and hypocrisy of those who condemn, who condemn the sinner out of hand particularly some fundamental religious groups, I think is just appalling.
When religion or spirituality worked against wellbeing, it contributed to negative thinking patterns, anxiety and depression. As children, some people had picked up the religious message that 'good behaviour leads to heaven, and bad behaviour leads to hell.' This idea had been frightening and unhelpful when they were children. Nevertheless, such early messages could be challenged as part of becoming an adult, and recovering from depression. For instance, one young man in his thirties decided to turn away from Christianity because of his difficulties with the notion of 'sin,' as well as the fact that he never actually felt a personal connection to Jesus.
Had a crisis of faith in Christianity where he did not feel a relationship with Jesus, and had trouble with the idea of sin. (Played by an actor)
Had a crisis of faith in Christianity where he did not feel a relationship with Jesus, and had trouble with the idea of sin. (Played by an actor)
I was actually a Christian, I'm not a Christian any more, I sort of went through a crisis of faith a few years afterwards which, again is quite, is quite relevant, I think quite relevant to depression.
In what sense?
Well, Christianity has got some quite powerful symbols in it about redemption and death and somebody dying for your sins. And quite a strong feeling of sin, actually, of a feeling of blame or some, whether you can use the word 'stigma' in that context that attaches to somebody who's, who's somehow failed. But it also, you know, it's got a positive aspect to it as well, it's got the idea that one should be able to be guided by God's will if one reflects on it and reads on it and such like. And some people are supposed to be called by God, but I never felt that way you know, and I never really had this so-called personal relationship with Jesus that many, you know fervent Christians talk about.
I mean I had a conflict in my mind between science, which I felt I understood pretty well, and the Bible, and I was always trying to reconcile them. This is something I was doing, you know even as a kid, you know from the age of 11'. And from the age of 11 and, ultimately, it went down to the side of being a heathen, and not really worrying about being damned, because I don't even believe in things like sin any more. I find them to be very'. to be a very exacting kind of religion'
Some believed that prayer could have a healing effect. Through prayer, one woman gained a sense of comfort and a feeling that God would always 'sustain' her and not prolong her suffering, even though she had experienced severe and long episodes of depression. While people could say formal prayers, they did not have to know particular prayers. Some people simply talk to a higher power/God as if they were talking to another person or an absent therapist. Some asked others to pray for them, such as when they were too unwell to pray themselves. While depressed people did not necessarily feel there was any benefit to praying at the time, they felt it was helpful in the long term. One woman used a metaphor of an iceberg melting in the sun to explain how she thought prayer helped people.
Feels that God has sustained her through depression and not let her suffer too much, despite periods of severe depression.
Feels that God has sustained her through depression and not let her suffer too much, despite periods of severe depression.
I think there are a lot of things we actually don't understand, and up to a point, but probably in depression, the depths of depression, you can't really do anything about. But prayer does help, and believing that the holy spirit will sustain... that God will not allow us to suffer too much, and will give us the strength to cope. It is often rubbished, but there again, that's what I believe. I have been sustained. It doesn't mean I've never thought of suicide in the real pits... in the 60's, in the 1960's I suppose, there were times when, "I just don't want to be here anymore, this is so incredibly painful, my life is such a mess... I feel a wreck, I am so unhappy, I am so miserable... What else can there be..." This is particularly in a period of depression that just went on and on and on. I didn't have faith then, I didn't even attempt to... I didn't attempt suicide, it doesn't mean to say I didn't think about it.
Explains that prayer and God helped him in ways that are unclear, yet he feels it at least helped his marriage.
Explains that prayer and God helped him in ways that are unclear, yet he feels it at least helped his marriage.
How has prayer helped, well I guess that as I say, the Lord had a purpose behind me having depression, and I was content. It didn't make sense to me because, well it just didn't make sense to me, but I had to believe that was it. I used a psalm, Psalm 100, when I was going through the worst of it.
Well you'd have to look it up in the Bible, but part of it says the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations. And I had to believe you know, there was always'. there was always something to give praise, for and give thanks for, because you get exceedingly gloomy [laughs]' you're not very good company when you're in the depths. But I had to believe that, and that may'. I think that it helped.
I don't know, I can't say if I'd have been any different without those beliefs. Certainly it kept me and the wife's marriage together, I believe that. So I give thanks for that.
Along with getting the right balance of medication, says she found talking to God gave her strength.
Along with getting the right balance of medication, says she found talking to God gave her strength.
Says that praying is like talking to someone who already knows you well, and that no formal prayer is needed.
Says that praying is like talking to someone who already knows you well, and that no formal prayer is needed.
I think because' it depends on how you look on praying. A lot of people find praying' they think you've got to do something really intelligent and you've got to have some special way of praying. But it isn't'. it's all about talking to God as if you were talking to your friend, or you Mum and Dad, you know, whoever. And it's just about being you when you talk to him, he knows everything about us, he knows what we've done wrong, he knows everything before we even say. But its about talking to God as if he was somebody sitting next to you. And I think until you actually realise that that is what praying is about, talking to your friend'. who Jesus is your friend. And there isn't anything you can tell him he doesn't already know, but he wants you to say it yourself. It's a bit like a therapy I suppose'.
Explains that prayer worked for her over such a long period of time that it could only be understood much later in time.
Explains that prayer worked for her over such a long period of time that it could only be understood much later in time.
I mean, even though I didn't feel it (prayer) was doing me any good. And an image I did use, and I've used since to help other people, is of the iceberg in the sun. That although I wasn't aware that any melting was about to take place, or going to take place, of the iceberg of depression. An iceberg will be melting in the sun, and there will come a point when it's obvious and it's visible. And that's what I held on to, that there would come a point when I would begin to feel less depressed.
One question that concerned many people was this' “Why does God allow people to suffer so much in depression”? People with spiritual beliefs who were recovering had found answers that supported them to better care for themselves. Trusting in God when all was a mess and unclear was a common approach. For one evangelical Christian woman who pleaded with God in the depths of despair “Tell me the song and I'll sing it”. Her eventual understanding was to trust in God's purpose for her life.
Some people said their churches could be very supportive, while others felt depression was stigmatised in churches, and even seen as a sin by some. One woman believed that in biblical accounts of Jesus, there is evidence that he suffered anxiety and depression before his crucifixion - so it was OK for her to have depression, and depression was not a sin.
Believes that Jesus was anxious and depressed just before his crucifixion, and so felt it was OK to be depressed also.
Believes that Jesus was anxious and depressed just before his crucifixion, and so felt it was OK to be depressed also.
Yeah, he (Jesus) went through that. You know, he had that sense of feeling completely at the bottom. And it says he actually, his sweat was like drops of blood, and I know that when people are.... It is a recognised phenomenon isn't it when people are extremely anxious the... when they sweat the capillaries can actually burst in their skin, and they can actually sweat blood. So that, you know, these things can happen, and I just thought then you know if he.... if he was anxious and depressed, it's ok for me to be as well. You know. And that was good.
People with spiritual beliefs sometimes acknowledged that people may never actually find out the reasons behind their suffering. Depression could seem senseless and cause them to distrust 'God'. Yet, one young woman who had little faith in God believed that by the laws of karma, things would have to get better for her after what she had endured since childhood, and she did subsequently have many fortunate experiences. It is also worth noting that a number of people, with and without spiritual beliefs, felt they had changed for the better having gone through long and horrendous experiences of depression.
Last reviewed September 2017.
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