Can God Alone Heal Depression?

If you have ever suffered from deep depression, the "black hole" feeling, the feeling of helplessness, the feeling of hopelessness, you are not alone. Statistics show that over 17 million American adults experience a clinical depression. Depression can affect anyone, and it can change how you think and feel. Depression is a very real pain, not understood by those who have never "walked in our shoes". Depression is an illness. As with other illnesses, you cannot heal from depression by doing it alone. Most serious depression requires drug therapy to help you feel better. Drug therapy alone is not an instant cure, however. You can beat this illness, not alone, but with God's help.

Many Christians struggle with the use of psychiatric counseling and medication to heal depression, believing that to do so shows a lack of faith in God. As a Christian, I have a strong faith in God and a belief that He is there for us and I pray for his guidance, grace, mercy and love every day. God wants to mend our broken hearts; He wants us strong and full of His love so we can love and worship Him. Only God can heal us. If I had a brain tumor, would I not take the medication or have the operation to help cure this illness? As such, depression is an illness for which no one should be ashamed to get psychiatric counseling and medication, if needed.

I have struggled off and on with depression for many years; it is inherit in my family. As a victim of hurricane Katrina, which destroyed my hometown, I not only had to deal with depression but also developed PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and severe anxiety. Because of my experiences, my history of depression, and the added experience of post traumatic stress disorder, I continued to struggle each day with life, but I never gave up asking God to help me. I did not loose my faith. I continued to pray and I called on my Christian friends. God DOES work in very mysterious ways and often showed me so in small ways, and with the people he put in my path.