On this journey from guilt to grace, I still find myself going backwards from time to time. The biggest cause for reversal? My guilt about suffering from depression. My fellow sufferers understand that we feel badly about being depressed, and we worry about how it looks to other people, and we ponder our lot in life, and then we get-well-more depressed. It's a vicious cycle, and I doubt that I will be able to completely avoid this downward spiral until God gives me my glorified body.
A recent post from a sweet friend and fellow sufferer reminded me that we still look at mental illness as something we can control all on our own. Something that makes us ashamed. Something that makes others look down on us. Something to hide and deny, hoping that it will go away.
Well, guess what? It won't. Clinical depression is an illness. Just like diabetes. And cancer. It's an ILLNESS! Diabetes requires medication and treatment. Cancer requires medication and treatment. Depression requires medication and treatment. If left untreated, any of these could be fatal in one way or another.
So, my point? If you are clinically depressed, take the medicines prescribed. Learn ways to manage and treat your illness. But do NOT be ashamed. No, you don't have to broadcast that you have an issue. Just don't cower when someone finds out about it. It's not something anyone would wish on themselves anymore that we would wish for shingles. But it IS what God has for you, and He doesn't hand us anything we can't handle, even if that means taking meds, and getting counseling. Don't you think He gave people the knowledge to make those meds and give that counseling?
Please realize that I'm writing this to remind myself, as well as to encourage others. I'll take my medications as long as I need them, which will probably be for the rest of my life, just like a diabetic will need to take some form of insulin for the rest of theirs. Praise God for modern medicine and doctors! I'm thinking that if they didn't exist, I or someone dear to me would be dead from suicide or homicide--if you get my drift. So in addition to keeping my emotions level, I think my anti-depression medicines have saved lives.
Medicated, and still on the path!
Teapotjan
1 comment:
Janet, you've been an amazing influence on a ton of people. Your smile has lifted souls, and your advice has saved heartache. There are incredibly few people as kind and loving as you are.
I'm going to have to disagree here though. I believe that we all have the power within us to overcome any obstacle or problem in our path. To be an effective tool for God, we should be confident in our own ability to conquer. There are countless times in Scripture, where God's servants had to learn to believe that they could be an effective tool, before they were an effective tool.
If you are depressed, then you can let a Dr. tell you that he's sure you have a chemical imbalance (probably based off of nothing other than a list of symptoms that you've provided), or you can have faith that you are an effective tool for your Lord, and stop worrying about public opinion.
The best advice I can give you is to stay positive (even if you're faking it) and actively pursue making a difference in the lives around you. Act like the happy person you want to be, and I guarantee you'll be happier.
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