Hey IG i know we spoke briefly last week on FB so rather than give you (or anyone else reading who may now or in the future encounter this problem) the wrong advice that may be detrimental allow me to share some of my thoughts and experiences in regards to this topic.
I know you know this anyhow but for the record this is just my opinion and belief based on my research/beliefs and experience with the topic.
As you know i do not believe depression is a medical condition as such like a sore throat or any other physical condition, i believe it is a human condition stemming from the circumstances of life we find ourselves in and or plain old fallen human nature.
In an age of a condition or medical explanation for every woe,sin and now personality defect known to man it would seem the easy short term solution is to medicate people.As people with "mental issues" seem to be everywhere nowadays i would imagine it would be quite a strain on the health system which is part of the reason medicating people is part of their solution as there is just not enough social workers/councilors out there to be married up with each patient as it would have been in the past .
It is my belief and even supported in the bible and even not that long ago in society that mental illnesses are indeed influenced and or caused by spiritual or demonic forces and that the more extreme cases in the interest of protecting the general public and themselves should be institutionalized.
Now if it were true medicating people is the way to go as it is nothing more than some type of communication breakdown in the brain or chemical imbalance then the evidence that is out there that testifies to the fact prescribing pills simply is not a magic cure or even bandaid that in many cases it actually makes these peoples condition worse should make most people even our so called learned health professionals consider that it is not a physical condition at all.
Yes i know people who have taken these things and they testify to the fact they are the worst thing they have ever experienced taking.Even a self professed illicit and anything they can get their hands on recreational drug user can testify to this.
The human mind or soul which is where i believe these problems truly exist and originate from is an invisible yet very real element of a human being that can not be placed on a lab table,tested and tweaked or what have you like an organ or other body part.
The characteristics of the soul or mind is what makes us like God in the sense that we were created in his image, something way above and beyond what we as humans can ever truly comprehend or recreate.
Using mind altering drugs does nothing more than fog the mind with chemicals similar to other psychotropic drugs and does not really address the core problems which are behavioral/personality issues.
Whether it be post natal depression, loss of a lover, family member or whatever no matter what label is put on it all depression is essentially the same depression it is just that there is many different scenario's or reasons one may be or become depressed.
I can see what zooba said earlier that it may not be some one time prayer or quick process to find release and that it may be a process that can take time.
In my situation i found it was a rather quick process that released me from years and i mean years of depression.Without going into my life story i can say without even realizing it i was depressed for pretty much the beginning of my life until i was in my late 20's.
Sure i was able to live a relatively normal life and even had heaps of fun and generally enjoyed life yet the depression element was still there in the background.
Feelings of sadness,despair,sorrow etc are all natural human emotions we all possess and experience even Jesus did and does.
Believe it or not man it is as simple as learning to control those emotions.You will find a depressed person is instead of controlling emotions having their emotions control them.
As you have heard me say before emotions come from the soul not the brain which is why i firmly believe anyone who is experiencing depression over and above what would be normal and finds themselves being unable to cope are probably also suffering from the spiritual element.What i mean by this is satan seizes the opportunity to play on our situation and as a result if left unchecked can lead to spiritual bondage.
Now for me it certainly was a very quick process that released me, in actual fact was a few simple words from my sister reminding me of how i overcame a life threatening illness when i was younger.I remembered hey i am a fighter i can overcome this and i have never looked back since.Sure i have still experiences times of sadness etc however now i control it instead of it controlling me.
No drugs either by the way, only a very small number of friends Christian and non Christian who were supporting me however like i shared in the above paragraph the actual release came from the right person saying the right thing at the right time.
As you would know depression can be a very loyal friend resulting on you pulling back from responsibilities and social circles you would normally have also resulting in people pulling away from you.
This opposes the very nature and purpose of man as God said it is not good for man to be alone as we are meant to be social beings giving more evidence to a spiritual side to depression plus it's instigator/encourager.
Now this may not mean much to you now and possibly may even anger you but please understand i mean no disrespect to your situation however the theme to a depressed person is,
I am sad
My life sucks
I hate this or that
I wish this would happen or wish that didn't happen
Woe is me
etc etc
The theme is it is all based on self and it can consume you so much you don't even realize it.
This may seem harsh however i have been there and came back and i can testify that it really is the case.
Also as i wish at the time i had of payed more attention to is a wonderful piece of scripture
Philippians 4:13 (New King James Version)
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
This truly means "ALL THINGS" .
To further clarify this point allow me to quote from what it says in my study bible regarding this.
"It is important to note that the emphasis is not so much on achievement as it is on willingness to allow Christ's power to sustain in DIFFICULTY AND SCARCITY,and to enhance the enjoyment of abundance and prosperity.Such faith is a stimulant to believe for all Christ's sufficiency in facing ALL LIFE'S CIRCUMSTANCES."
I have found a web site you may wish to have a look at that may be helpful
www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/counseling/jr/bspp/bspp_depression.aspMy hope and prayer is that you or anyone else that may be reading will be able to take something away from what i said and find strength,encouragement,hope to soldier on as in line with the scripture i shared earlier the Lord will never put you in a situation that one can not handle
.