Depression - Part 3

When Does Depression Occur?

          Depression can occur at every phase of life.  It is beneficial to look at what causes the depression in the various stages of life.  Even a child may experience it due to the death of a parent, or the divorce of parents.  He will usually blame himself, anger turned inward.

          Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers, and depression is the reason suicide seems like the only way out of this internal pain.  Teenagers have the most emotional trauma adjusting to life.  They are not children any longer, but neither are they adults.  It is a confusing, emotional time for them.  Often, they act out their depression.

          The most common time for women to become depressed is after the birth of their first-born child, called postpartum depression.  However, this is very normal and usually not long-lasting.

          Mid-life is another time depression has an open door to set in.  It is a time men and women feel they are losing their youth and looks.  The reality of growing old sets in and perhaps the realization that certain goals were not met creates an anger that life is passing them by.  Often depression in mid-life is expressed through improper sexual conduct.  This compounds the depression as it brings on guilt.

          

           Elderly people have many reasons for becoming depressed.  There are many losses during this stage.  They may lose their spouses in death, or other loved ones.  They lose friends, and loneliness sets in.  They often lose their health.  Again, there is anger at growing old.

          Even though there are different causes for depression at the different stages of life, general life changes which can occur anytime, can create psychiatric disorders.  Some of these are:  death, divorce, bad health, injury, financial, change of location, change of job, change of lifestyle, change in family, and even change in seasons.  Seasonal Affective Disorder is an absence of daylight that causes chemical changes in the brain.  Holidays are another time that depression can evolve from.  With so many causes it is no wonder depression is our number one growing health problem.  The good news, though, is that depression is curable, and knowledge is the first step toward being cured.

­­­How Do You Handle Anger?

               Since a major cause of depression is repressed anger, then learning how to handle anger is the main way to avoid depression.  The anger must be analyzed to discover if it is appropriate or inappropriate.  This is done by introspection which helps us gain insight to the past from which the anger may stem. 

Introspection also gives us clues to the personality type.  The obsessive-compulsive…known as Type A personality…and the overly emotional personality are the two types more likely to suffer depression from anger.  Appropriate anger is response to someone who has done us wrong.  A forgiving and loving confrontation with that person is an effective way to deal with appropriate anger.  Inappropriate anger results when our selfish and perfectionist demands are not met, and we hold grudges or when we are suspicious.  If we could give up these demands and suspiciousness, we would eliminate a majority of our anger.

          Anger must be ventilated.  There are various ways to express anger.  We can be aggressive, with harm intended, or passive, where we turn this anger inward and out.  Both ways are the wrong way to express anger.  The correct way is in assertiveness.  We accomplish this by saying what needs to be said, but in a tactful manner of love and forgiveness.  Forgiveness is choosing with your will to not hold a grudge and usually takes a Supernatural Power to accomplish it.  The positive side of this is that we grow in Christian love as we forgive.  Growing in Christ helps us control anger, which leaves us healthier and happier.

Depression - Part 2

What Are Some of the Symptoms of Depression?

          One of the most obvious symptom is the “sad affect” that a person has.  He will often break into tears, sometimes not even knowing why he is crying, and will have a general sad expression.  He often loses interest in his personal appearance.

          Painful thinking is the second major symptom.  A depressed person will become very introspective, filled with regrets and guilt and hopelessness.  He feels very rejected, unloved and lonely, and feels he will never be happy again.  He loses interest in activities he once enjoyed and lacks motivation.  It becomes hard for him to make decisions and he will begin to withdraw.  This can lead to suicidal tendencies.

          There are several physical symptoms that are noticeable in a depressed person.  His sleep pattern is affected, leaving him feeling fatigued.  His appetite is affected, which usually results in a significant weight loss or gain.  A loss of sexual interest may occur. Tension headaches are often present.  The brain chemistry becomes disturbed, causing a loss in serotonin.

          Another major symptom is anxiety.  A person becomes very anxious, worried, and more irritable.  This may cause discomfort in being in public places.

Delusional thinking is yet another major symptom.  The individual is out of touch with reality, thinking irrational thoughts.  He may hear voices, or think people are out to get him.  A person that becomes delusional for six months or longer without receiving a major tranquilizer could be insane for life.  However, with the proper medicine and counseling, delusional thinkers are curable. 

­What Causes Depression?

          The best description of depression is anger turned inward.  This anger may be anger toward ourselves (true or false guilt), or anger toward others (unconscious grudges).  Anger is usually the root of depression, but there are other emotions that are painful also.

          Suffering a significant loss is the most common stress that causes depression.  The loss may be the death of a loved one, or a divorce, or perhaps even a job situation.

          A low self-esteem, or lack of self-worth, is a primary source of emotional pain.  Parents that are overly strict may cause a child to strive to be perfect, and he gains a false guilt when he fails to meet the standard set for him.  This is seen most often in the first born.  He has a drive to be the most successful, and often ends up the most depressed.  This perfectionist drive often creates a workaholic, self-sacrificing type individual.  He is usually a person who wants to be in control, and lost control can cause a frustration, anger, that creates depression.

          Loneliness is another emotional pain.  God created us to need each other.  If there is a lack of intimacy with others, there is a void which can lead to depression.  Sometimes this loneliness is caused by rejection, which affects one’s self-image, causing a person to feel unneeded, unwanted.

          Guilt is a cause of depression, both true guilt and false guilt.  True guilt is a violation of God’s moral law.  It is a valuable tool God has built into us to influence us to do right.  False guilt, however, usually stems from an overgrown conscience, often derived in childhood by being taught that everything is sin.

          Wrong perspectives and priorities, also contribute to depression.  Often our dependency upon God and our relationships with others lose their place of value.  Having the right relationship with God, allowing Him control in our lives, and keeping the right relationships with others in the proper perspective and priority will relieve much stress that causes depression.

          Attacks by satan are another very real cause of depression.  He wants to make us ineffective as Christians, and he knows depression is real joy killer.  No one is attracted to a depressed Christian.

          There are several physical symptoms that cause depression.  A few of these are:  hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, endocrine imbalance, viral infections, and fatigue.  Often a person will blame his depression on one of these physical ailments rather than admitting to an emotional disturbance.  That is why it is important to be diagnosed by a medical doctor or psychiatrist.

Depression - Part 1

Introduction

       My parents were visiting for a few days on their way north after spending the winter in Florida.  It was a semi-annual visit that I normally looked forward to.  I usually lined up some chores for my handyman father to do, and planned some shopping outings with my mother.  The menu was always planned in advance, and the cupboards and refrigerator stocked.  But this time I had dreaded them coming. 

Something was going wrong inside of me, and coping with the everyday routine of life was very difficult for me, let alone planning for company.  Nothing was prepared when they arrived, and it was all I could do to bring myself out of the bedroom to be with them.  I finally said to my mom, “Have you ever been real depressed?”  That was the first time I ever linked that word with what I was feeling.  I had never heard of depression, but I was on my way to learning about it firsthand.

          Since depression is such a common illness, I wonder why I had never encountered it before.  Prior to my own depression I had started a new ministry in our church for women.  It was my desire to see the women share their experiences in a Bible study type setting so that we might grow closer to one another and to God.  There were several widow ladies and divorced women that were familiar with depression, I was soon to discover.  Who was I to minister to them when I did not even know their illness existed?  So, God took me through a training seminar.  The following material is an accumulation of what I have learned through various books, articles, and personal experiences. 

What Is Depression?

       “You feel sad, almost like crying.  Sometimes you do cry.  Mostly, you feel hopeless, overwhelmed, unable to move or to work.  Your problems weigh on you like so many stones on your chest.  And you see no way of lifting those weights.  Those feelings may persist without letting up for weeks or even years.  A psychiatrist would say that you are depressed.”  (Earl Ubell, “You Can Fight Depression”, Parade Magazine, May 8, 1988)

          Depression is more than just feeling down, or sad.  It is a real disease just as much as cancer.  It produces physical, emotional, and mental symptoms.  Without the proper treatment, depression can last for years or even end in suicide.  However, with proper treatment, usually nine out of ten patients recover.  Since depression is becoming our number one health concern, and the leading cause in suicide, it is important for the public to become more knowledgeable on this illness.

Downsizing and Blogging

Time for some new blogs.  I am continuing to downsize our household.  I have kept all of my college and seminary class files and papers from 1989-1994.  For several years I kept all of the books, but books are heavy.  My shelves were overflowing.  So perhaps ten years ago I started unloading my  books.  I read through them one more time, then made the decision to either keep a book for future reading, or pass the book along.  Most of the books got passed along, usually through the means of preacher workshops on our campgrounds or at retreats.  It took about five years to work through that downsizing.  

I chose to hang onto my class files because they had my personal investment of time in them.  My research, my notes, my class work submissions.  I know when I am gone, no one else will want those files, so I am now starting to go through them.  If I find anything of value to share through my blog, I will put it in electronic format, post it, and then discard the remaining contents of the file.  If I free up drawers in my file cabinets, I will one day unload the file cabinets themselves!  Lightening my load, leaving less behind for others to have to deal with.

I'll be blogging on my classes in the order I took them.  My very first Lee College (now Lee University) class I took was in the fall of 1989, "Crisis Intervention Counseling".  I had come through my bout with depression, and wanted to be able to help others.  Cleveland Helpline was a phone line service offered to those who needed someone to talk to.  It was free and confidential.  The volunteers that staffed Helpline were trained through classes such as this one I took.  It gave me two levels of certification to qualify me to be a listener.  There were backup counselors that were psychologists, pastors, social workers and other professionals who were on call for those who needed more extensive counseling.  

So for my first college class blog, I will be posting my paper on Depression.  As I was putting it into Word format yesterday, I was taken back to that time in my life.  So many memories, some sad, but I was reminded how God brought me through that storm in my life.  He was there for me, He'll be there for anyone who will turn and seek His face.  

"For I know the plans I have for you,"  says the Lord.  "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.  I will be found by you," says the Lord.  

Snowbirds

Well, here we are!  We have reached the stage of life where Michigan winters are too rough for us and we long for the warmth and sunshine of the south.  However, we do like change of seasons.  Therefore, the "south" to us means Tennessee.  

For my health's sake, I must walk every day, and with dogs, I have another reason to walk every day.  A few years ago in Michigan I slipped on black ice, and my back has never been the same.  When it is snowing outside and there's any possibility there is slickness under that snow...I do not walk.  I begin to bulk up, have more indigestion problems, and start putting the pounds on...even though my diet does not change.  For me, that is the incentive to go south.  For my husband, he hates winter, hates snow, hates cold.  That is his incentive to leave Pure Michigan behind during the winter season.

We have become snowbirds this year.  We will live in TN during the fall and winter months, and live in Michigan in the late spring and summer months.  You cannot beat Michigan weather in the summer!  TN, however, can become hot and humid during those months of the year.  

On one hand I am delighted to be at this stage of life, but on the other hand...I'm getting old!  How is that?  Inside I don't feel any different than I did in my early adult years, but outward, it's so very obvious the timing of life has caught up with me!  May my spirit always be young and alive, even as I now face life with so much more wisdom!!

Contented.  That would best describe me right now.  Pleased and contented...and so very grateful to God for allowing us to have these choices.  We do this in faith that He will be with us, direct our paths, provide for us, and help us to represent Jesus well no matter where we are.  

Regarding the picture above of our Michigan backyard...I would like to add that we made a trip to TN to secure a place to live.  When we went back to MI to load up our vehicle, I stepped down from the truck into snow that came up to my knees.  We spent our first half hour back in MI shoveling and blowing snow that was two feet deep, before we got into the house!  Just a reminder of why we were making this transition!  I wish I had gotten a picture of that snow!

My Journey to Israel - Chapter Nineteen

Chapter 19 - Thursday continued

            Once again I was at the Garden Tomb.  I entered the empty tomb once again to see the place where Jesus had laid.  This was our final visit, our final site on the tour---the empty grave.  What a place to end, for it was only the beginning!  Jesus raising from the dead was the beginning of eternal life.  Best of all, that eternal life is available to all who receive Him.  I cannot understand how anyone can reject His love when they truly understand He would have come to this earth and gone through all of His agony just for him or her.  How wonderful, though, that He made the sacrifice once for all.  Anyone can take freely of the gift of eternal life.  “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”  (John 1:12)

            New foundations have been laid down in my life because of my trip to Israel.  The first foundation is my desire to start reading through the Bible again, this time with maps and study guides and really begin to “search the scriptures”.  It will now be much more alive to me since I have walked the land. 

            The second foundation is the 29 new friendships I have to build on.  Who knows how our paths will weave in and out through this life, and then we have all eternity to spend together.  How nice to have an initial acquaintance in this life.

            The third foundation is understanding the purpose of the shoreline in my life---to know God does draw me into His presence to bestow peace, joy, and love upon me, and to strengthen and encourage me.  And I know that my final crossing from the shore to the other side is completely in His hands.  I do not have to worry about it.

            Thank you, Jesus.  I love you.

            And, my dear friend, I love you too.  Thank you for allowing me to share my journey with you.  Jesus has a journey for you too.  Be open to it and believe.  Reach out, take His hand, and let Him be your daily Guide.  Feel His presence as you journey into everlasting joy with Jesus.

Carol Casarez

My Journey to Israel - Chapter Eighteen

Chapter 18 - Thursday 3/30/89

            Our final day in Israel.  We had come back to Jerusalem on Wednesday night, and after our evening meal we had a vespers service, a time of sharing what this trip had meant to us.  It was a very heart-sharing, heart-warming, heart-touching time.  I had asked for one friend to go on this trip with me.  God gave me 29 friends...24 from Lee College and five temporary residents in Israel.  I love how God multiplies everything He touches.

            This day was Land Day, a day commemorating when the Jews took the land from the Arabs.  There was a strike on, and most of the shops were closed.  Tension was extremely high, and this was the first day I felt any fear.  God was with us, though, and protected us through the day.  We went to the Temple Mount and sat on the steps such as  Jesus had taught on. (1999 note:  We found out later that someone was shot on those steps about an hour after we were there.)  We visited the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall).  I saw how slips of paper with prayers on them were stuck in every crack and crevice, like gum is stuck all over the bottom of a table.  Inside the Temple Mount we saw the Dome of the Rock, the Moslem shrine to Mohammed.  We also went to the Upper Room, the place of the Last Super and Pentecost.

            After lunch we went through the Old City, walking the road Jesus walked as He carried His cross (“down the Via Dolorosa”).  When we got to Golgotha, I thought about His blood saturating throughout all the land and down through the centuries to reach even me.  My heart is broken when I think of all that He suffered in His crucifixion.  I almost could not bear to listen to the details, it was so gruesome, so humiliating.  Sometimes I get caught up in the joy of the love of Jesus, and I forget all the pain and agony and suffering He went through.  He truly suffered far more than any other human being has ever suffered.  I thought of how people from all over the world come here to see the sights and view the history of this one Person, but do not really care about HIM.  This must make Jesus so sad.