Christians Get Depressed Too

1. Christians Experience Real Depression.

My choice of title, Christians Get Depressed Too, is intended to oppose and correct a very common Christian response to Christians suffering from depression: “But Christians don’t get depressed!”

Countering a myth. A harmful misconception exists within some Christian circles that true believers are immune to depression. This book directly challenges that notion, asserting that Christians, just like anyone else, can and do experience depression. Denying this reality heaps unnecessary guilt and pain onto those already suffering, making them question their faith or feel like failures.

Biblical examples exist. While the Bible doesn't use modern clinical terms, it describes many faithful individuals exhibiting symptoms consistent with depression or severe anxiety. Figures like Moses, Hannah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Job, and various psalmists express deep sadness, despair, and a longing for death, demonstrating that such struggles are not incompatible with a genuine relationship with God. Their experiences validate the reality of mental distress within the lives of believers throughout history.

A widespread crisis. Depression is a common human experience, affecting millions globally, including professing Christians. The pressures of modern life, the state of the church and society, and constant exposure to negative news contribute to this epidemic. Recognizing that depression is a real condition, not a spiritual failing, is the crucial first step toward seeking help and healing.

2. Depression's Causes Are Complex, Not Just Spiritual.

Many of our troubles are caused because we think a problem is spiritual when it is physical or we think a problem is physical when it is emotional or spiritual.

Avoid simplistic extremes. Understanding depression requires avoiding dogmatism and seeking balance, recognizing that causes are rarely singular. Three unhelpful extremes are viewing it as all physical, all spiritual, or all mental. The "all spiritual" view, often linking depression solely to sin, is particularly damaging, leading to inappropriate "rebuke and repent" prescriptions that ignore other factors.

Historical perspective matters. Even wise figures like the Puritans understood the complexity, distinguishing between melancholy with a physical cause requiring medicine and sorrow from sin requiring Christ. William Perkins and Jonathan Edwards recognized that brain malfunction could lead to mental suffering. Dismissing non-spiritual causes ignores centuries of pastoral wisdom and emerging scientific understanding.

The Fall's impact is broad. Just as the Fall affects our bodies with diseases like cancer or diabetes, it affects the brain, the body's most complex organ. Mechanical, chemical, or electrical problems in the brain can arise through no fault of our own, leading to altered thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Assuming brain disorders are always the result of personal sin is akin to blaming sin for every physical ailment.

3. Recognize Depression's Varied Symptoms.

The physical reason is that only by knowing the symptoms can I know if others or I are suffering from depression and then seek appropriate help.

Symptoms are interconnected. Depression manifests across five key areas: life situation, thoughts, feelings, body, and behavior. These areas are deeply interconnected; problems in one inevitably impact the others. For instance, physical illness can affect mood and concentration, while negative thoughts can lead to physical symptoms and withdrawal.

Emotional and physical signs. Depression often involves overwhelming sadness, tearfulness, and loss of pleasure. It can also manifest as irrational irritability or anger. Physical symptoms are common, including:

• Disturbed sleep
• Tiredness
• Weight changes
• Digestive issues
• Loss of appetite
• Bodily pain
• Choking feelings or breathlessness

Behavioral changes occur. The impact on thoughts, feelings, and body inevitably alters behavior. This often involves withdrawing from activities previously enjoyed or beneficial, such as church attendance, hobbies, or social contact. Conversely, it can lead to engaging in harmful behaviors like excessive drinking or isolating oneself further. Recognizing these patterns is crucial for identifying the condition.

4. False Thinking Patterns Fuel Depression.

As [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7).

Thoughts shape reality. Our perception of events profoundly influences our emotional, behavioral, and physiological responses. Depression is often characterized by unhelpful thought patterns that distort reality negatively, magnifying problems and minimizing positives. Learning to identify and challenge these false thoughts is a vital step in recovery.

Common distortions include:

• False extremes: All-or-nothing thinking (one mistake means total failure).
• False generalization: Concluding one negative event means it will always happen.
• False filter: Focusing only on the negative, ignoring positives.
• False transformation: Turning neutral or positive experiences into negative ones.
• False mind reading: Assuming others think negatively about you without evidence.
• False fortune telling: Predicting negative outcomes based on feelings.
• False lens: Magnifying faults and minimizing assets.
• False feelings-based reasoning: Taking emotions as facts ("I feel useless, therefore I am useless").
• False "shoulds": Imposing unrealistic standards on self or others.
• False responsibility: Blaming oneself for negative outcomes without basis.

Biblical figures struggled. Examples from Scripture show even godly individuals falling into these patterns, like Job feeling God was his enemy despite a life of blessing, or Elijah filtering out God's power to focus only on opposition. Recognizing these patterns in ourselves, with God's help, is key to lifting our spirits and gaining a more accurate view of life.

5. Stress and Lifestyle Contribute Significantly.

Much of the increase in depression and anxiety today is largely the result of an unbalanced lifestyle where people are, on the one hand, working too hard and spending too much and, on the other hand, are exercising, resting, and sleeping too little.

Life events stretch us. Stressful life events, over which we have little control (bereavement, job loss, illness, etc.), can significantly impact mental health. Like stretching an elastic band, these events create tension, altering body and brain chemistry and potentially leading to a dip in mood or prolonged depression if the stress is chronic or overwhelming.

Lifestyle choices matter. Unlike uncontrollable life events, we have considerable control over our lifestyle. An unbalanced lifestyle, characterized by overwork, insufficient rest, poor diet, and lack of exercise, deliberately stretches our capacities. This breach of the command to preserve our own life can lead to the same detrimental effects on brain chemistry and mood as external stressors.

Brain chemistry is affected. Both chronic stress from life events and self-imposed stress from an unbalanced lifestyle can exhaust and deplete essential brain chemicals needed for normal thought and feeling processes. This is analogous to a computer crashing from too many programs running simultaneously. Recognizing the impact of stress and lifestyle is crucial for prevention and recovery.

6. Sickness and God's Sovereignty Can Be Causes.

Just as the curse on this world and our bodies can cause mechanical, chemical, and electrical problems in our hearts, our livers, our pancreas, our eyes, and other body parts, so we can also have mechanical, chemical, and electrical problems in our brains...

Physical illness impacts the brain. Depression can stem from simple bodily sickness, not personal sin. The Fall's curse affects all organs, including the brain, leading to mechanical, chemical, or electrical malfunctions. Conditions like hormonal imbalances, gland disorders, or even lack of sunlight can affect mood and thought processes, just as diabetes affects the pancreas or heart disease affects the heart.

Medication addresses physical causes. In cases where depression has significant physical roots, medication is not merely "symptom alleviation" but addresses the underlying cause, much like insulin treats diabetes. Dismissing medication as unspiritual or only treating superficial issues is harmful and ignores God's gracious provision through medical means. Assuming depression is sin until proven otherwise is a dangerous default position.

God's sovereignty is ultimate. Ultimately, depression, like all suffering, can be traced back to God's sovereign will. This is not arbitrary cruelty but has wise and loving purposes for His children. God may allow suffering, including mental distress, to humble us, reveal hidden sin, increase dependence on Him, or make us more watchful, as seen in the examples of Job and Hezekiah.

7. Recovery Requires Correcting Lifestyle.

A positive step in recovering from depression is to restore order and discipline in your life.

Active participation is needed. Recovery from depression is not passive; it requires the sufferer's active participation. Like the lame man at Bethesda, one must want to be made whole and be willing to use the available means. This involves resisting the urge to be guided solely by feelings and instead imposing structure and discipline.

Build a balanced routine. Restoring a regular routine is fundamental. This includes fixed times for sleeping, eating, and working, which helps rebuild a sense of usefulness and healthy self-esteem. It also involves incorporating relaxation techniques, moderate physical exercise (especially outdoors), and prioritizing sufficient rest and sleep (aiming for 8 hours).

Reprioritize commitments. An overstretched life contributes to depression. Recovery necessitates examining commitments in areas like family, work, church, and social life and reducing obligations where possible. The priority must be getting better, with the understanding that some activities can be resumed once health is restored.

8. Challenging False Thoughts Is Vital for Healing.

While we often cannot change the providences we are passing through, we can change the way we think about them so we can have a more accurate and positive view of our lives, thereby lifting our spirits.

Identify and examine thoughts. Unhelpful thought patterns are major contributors to depression. The first step in correcting them is prayerful self-examination to identify these distortions. Tools like thought investigation questionnaires can help make this process structured and objective, moving beyond subjective feelings to analyze the thoughts themselves.

Challenge the falsehoods. Simply identifying false thoughts is a start, but actively challenging them is crucial for lasting change. This involves questioning the validity of extreme, generalized, or filtered negative thoughts and replacing them with more accurate, balanced perspectives. This process is deeply biblical, exemplified by psalmists like Asaph who actively reasoned with their despairing thoughts (Psalm 77).

Ground thoughts in truth. Replacing false thoughts requires grounding one's mind in objective truth, especially biblical truth about God, oneself, and reality. This is not "psychological mumbo-jumbo" but aligns with biblical calls to renew our minds and take thoughts captive. It's about viewing God's world accurately, just as we strive to view God's Word accurately.

9. Medical Help (Medication) Can Be a Gracious Provision.

Even a low dose of anti-depressant is sometimes enough just to begin to restore depleted brain chemicals and pick up your mood sufficiently to enable you to begin to take the steps necessary to correct your lifestyle and thoughts.

Seek professional diagnosis. If lifestyle changes and challenging thoughts are insufficient or impossible to implement due to the severity of depression, seeking help from trained medical personnel is essential. Doctors can provide a diagnosis and discuss the suitability of medication. Waiting until a severe "crash" occurs prolongs suffering and recovery time.

Medication addresses physical causes. Antidepressants work by helping to restore depleted brain chemicals and correct malfunctioning thought circuits. In cases with significant physical or biological components, medication is not just symptom relief but addresses a root cause, enabling the person to regain the capacity to engage in other therapeutic steps like correcting thoughts and lifestyle.

Debunk myths about medication. Many myths surround antidepressants (e.g., they change personality, are addictive, have horrible side effects, signify weakness). Doctors can provide accurate information to counter these fears. While medication can be a vital tool, it's often most effective as part of a comprehensive approach that also includes addressing lifestyle, thoughts, and spiritual well-being.

10. Address Spiritual Consequences, Not Always Spiritual Causes.

True spiritual causes of depression are not common. Most Christians with an apparently religious content to their depression in fact have one of the mental/emotional causes rather than a true spiritual cause.

Spiritual consequences are common. While personal sin is rarely the primary cause of depression in Christians, the condition almost always has painful spiritual consequences. These include loss of assurance, difficulty concentrating on the Bible or prayer, feeling distant from God, and questioning one's faith. These feelings are often fruits of the illness, not evidence of spiritual failure.

Doubt feelings, trust truth. Depressed Christians often feel their poor spiritual state is the cause, but this self-critical feeling is usually a symptom. It's crucial to doubt the accuracy of these feelings and instead cling to objective biblical truths about God's love, grace, and faithfulness, regardless of how one feels. Patiently waiting for overall well-being to improve will often see spiritual feelings return.

Practical spiritual steps. While avoiding excessive spiritual striving, depressed Christians can take practical steps:

• Accept depression isn't necessarily sin.
• Understand loss of spiritual feeling is a symptom.
• Set realistic, short times for Bible reading and prayer.
• Meditate on objective truths (justification, atonement).
• Be honest with God in prayer.
• Seek support from trusted, sympathetic Christians.
• Remember God's unconditional love.

11. Caregivers Need Study, Sympathy, and Support.

Research has shown that mental health patients get better much quicker if they can confide in and get support from someone close to them.

Caregivers play a critical role. Family, friends, and fellow Christians are vital in the recovery process, even without formal medical training. Their support significantly impacts how quickly and effectively a depressed person heals. However, lack of understanding can lead to unintentional harm.

Study and gain sympathy. It is imperative for caregivers to learn about depression to avoid common mistakes and maximize helpfulness. Reading reliable resources increases understanding and naturally fosters sympathy – the ability to communicate genuine concern and understanding. Sympathy is a powerful therapeutic force; its absence deepens suffering.

Provide practical support. Support goes beyond sympathy; it means being available to listen, praying with the person, offering unconditional love (even when it's difficult), and providing practical help (childcare, errands, etc.). Caregivers also need to recognize their limitations and know when to seek professional help. Crucially, caregivers themselves need support from others, as ministering to the depressed is demanding.

12. Combat Stigma and Maintain Confidentiality.

There is a terrible stigma attached to depression. This is the result of widespread misunderstanding about its causes, its symptoms, and the cures available.

Stigma hinders healing. The pervasive stigma surrounding mental illness, viewing it as a choice, weakness, or excuse, prevents many from seeking help. This misunderstanding is partly due to depression being an "invisible" illness without obvious physical signs. Christians may internalize this stigma, increasing guilt and reluctance to admit their struggle.

Reduce stigma through understanding. Caregivers and the church can combat stigma by becoming educated about depression and fostering a culture where it's acceptable to have problems. Preachers should present a balanced view of the Christian life, acknowledging suffering and distress as part of the normal experience in a fallen world, as reflected in the Psalms.

Confidentiality is paramount. Given the stigma, admitting depression requires immense courage. If someone confides in you, maintaining strict confidentiality is non-negotiable. "Sanctified gossip" is still gossip and deeply damaging. Being known as someone who keeps confidences is a rare and vital talent in the church, essential for creating a safe space for the suffering.

Last updated: May 28, 2025