Towards Understanding Depression
Depression is one of the four dark ‘d’s’ of life, the others being disillusionment, disappointment and perhaps worst of all - despair. Often in depression, all four of these ‘d’s’ are mingled in a lethal cocktail.
When discussing depression we should be clear we are not talking about that normal human experience of having a few days or even weeks where we feel ‘down in the dumps’. We are not talking about the normal sadness and grief we experience at the break up of a romance, or marriage or the death of someone we loved. A painful grief is appropriate and natural in these situations. However, sometimes, normal grief can gain an intensity that is not natural. There may be a severe drop of mood with which it is difficult to live. This may be accompanied by acute anxiety symptoms, panic attack, deep and chronic tiredness, severe lack of concentration, and a tendency to weep a great deal. Other symptoms such as loss of sleep, weight loss, loss of appetite, loss of libido, bowel problems, excessive sweating, and many of others can also accompany depression.
In depression, thought patterns often change in frightening ways. A person’s view of self becomes very low. You may begin to have obsessive thoughts, or paranoid thoughts, hallucinations, delusions, and even suicidal thoughts. These troubling thoughts seem to be uncontrollable and convincing.
If these symptoms begin to intrude into the normal experience of grief then it is wise to consult your doctor, you may well be experiencing depression at a level that can no longer be described as ‘natural’ but has become ‘clinical’.
If you have no real cause for intense sadness yet your mood is consistently low and is revealing a number of the above symptoms then it is almost certain that you are experiencing symptoms related to ‘clinical depression’ and should consult your doctor at the earliest opportunity. He will be able to make a proper diagnosis and begin to help you recover.
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About John
Hi there - I am a member of Greenview and have been for over 20 years. For a number of these years I functioned as an elder, however, indifferent health forced me to take more of a back seat. I see this as an opportunity to do a little writing, often focussing on issues that are a matter of evangelical debate today. Naturally the views expressed are my own and may not reflect the views of the elders or church at large, though differences are likely to be in the detail and not the substance.
These articles and sermons were written partly to clarify my own thoughts and partly with the intention of provoking thought in others who may read them. If you read one I hope you find it stimulating. Please feel free to give me feedback or discuss my articles in the forums.
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