Resurrection or Rehabilitation?
The week that follows Easter, beginning on "Low Sunday", can seem like a long haul even for the most joyous of believers. In the so-called "real" world in which we have to live and work, for many it means a return to the daily grind after two successive four-day weeks and the memory of the moment of Easter exaltation soon fades.
Nevertheless, there are other bank holidays to look forward to in May, and as longer days bring with them the blossoms and brightness of Spring, glum faces don't last long for most at this vibrant time of year in the Northern Hemisphere.
For an increasing number of people though, in Springtime or any other season, life continues to be a daily struggle against the demons of depression and similar 'mental' illness. What we hear preached from the pulpit during Eastertide, good news though it is, does not usually offer the panacea for a condition whose symptoms, though less visible and tangible, can be every bit as pernicious to the sufferer as any physical disease.
Yet can Christians offer hope as much to chronic depressives, as the church does to all of us chronic "sinners" in the Easter message?
The Depression Alliance, the UK's leading charity for people affected by depression, has designated 16th-22nd April 2007 this year's "Depression Awareness Week".
It's probably no more than co-incidence which has led a secular organisation to observe this campaign around Easter for the last twelve years, and yet there is there perhaps a challenge to evangelical-minded Christians in the words they have on their website to launch this year's event:
"Will you help us to ensure that this year our message is heard by even more people than ever before?"
It takes nothing away from the glorious, miraculous message of that first Easter Day to admit that it alone will not solve the problems of everybody. Easter was really just the beginning of the great work of the Christian community of healing the hurting, befriending the lonely and loving the lost. Depressives need this kind of help as much as the next person, but has the church yet learnt how to offer it, and do most of us even understand what real, clinical depression actually is?
It will take more than a well-meant word of encouragement and a bit of Easter- bunnyish bouncing about in the pews to enable depressives to really find new life in all its fullness.
In recent years, the candid culture of celebritydom has brought to light many in the entertainment and sporting fields who bring joy and entertainment to so many, yet in their own lives struggle to come to terms with their real selves and the way the world seems to them as fame turns to pain. If this proves anything, it is only that for some, being constantly in the public eye with all that demands, can have all the potentially fatal side effects of any Class A drug, or even seemingly less harmful "recreational" substances.
Robbie Williams and Britney Spears have very publicly ended up in 'rehab' within the last year. They will surely not be the last celebrities to do so, and they are certainly not the first. Clowns and comedians, singers and performers from Tony Hancock to Edith Piaf have often concealed a tragically sad inner world from the outer world with the masks of raw talent and laughter.
Ministers and adherents of Christianity are not immune from the possibility of succumbing to depression's ugly grip, but should we not be using our churches more as a place where everyone can be helped to find release from it? Medicine can offer chemicals to cure the imbalances in the brain, such as a lack of serotonin, which "cause" depression, but should not the church be the safe haven where depressives can be helped, if not to recover then certainly to cope?
Yet so often, even Christians can tend to shy away from people with chronic mental illness simply because we do not know what to do.
Prayer might be a start, but more important, surely, is a listening ear and a willingness to learn. It can be so easy to just allow ourselves to think that two hours or so on a Sunday is adequate, but what we offer beyond that can do so much more.
Is your church involved in counselling? Are you even aware of the Association of Christian Counsellors? Do you know what drugs are prescribed for depression, and what their effects are? Shouldn't we be out there in the vanguard of offering support and hope to depressives and those who've suffered mental illness of any sort, rather than edging away from them for fear of getting too involved?
Hard questions for hard times- but surely he who raised even his only son from the dead can help us find answers? In resurrection hope, can we not also offer rehabilitation for all?
Hi Jamie,My previous post
Hi Jamie,
My previous post on this topic was the anonymous one - I forgot to login. I agree that the church could use some training in this area. My idea of the untrained helping was a little naive. Simply discussing the issue and getting this taboo talked about will in itself help greatly as the sufferers often feel isolated, and those close to them have no idea what to do.
Need for Training?
The fact that there have been so few responses to an excellent article is possibly less to do with lack of interest and more to do with the fact that most people do not understand depression or other psychological disturbances and so feel ill-equipped to respond to either the illness or to questions about it.
Perhaps a course run by professionals on how we can best respond to people in various forms of distress such as depression, dealing with bereavement etc. might be more valuable to the pastoral team in the church than yet another bible study course. Such a course would naturally include what we could do ourselves and when we would need to call in professional help.
I am somewhat wary of untrained counsellors who might have the best of motives and great enthusiasm but few skills in this area. There seems to be an assumption in some quarters that if someone is a Christian then God will give them the right words to say.
For example, the Freedom in Christ Discipleship Course offers the possibility of individual 3 - 5 hours sessions with an encourager and prayer partner. The introduction to this 'Steps to Freedom in Christ' session states that: 'we strongly recommend that you get the freedom-seeker to complete a Statement of Understanding which confirms for legal reasons their understanding that the encourager is not functioning as a trained counsellor'.
From the guidelines it is clear that the session could raise some very deep, personal and, potentially, problematic issues. Should we be encouraging untrained laypeople to take on a role that is surely the province of a trained counsellor or pastor?
The church can help!
Hi Mark, I too was not aware of Christian councellors either. It is no surprise that this is only the second reply to the topic. Depression does not excite us. It is a taboo. It is something which our society mocks or ignores or denies. Depression varies greatly from from feeling fed up to suicidal. Unfortunately it is word which is overused by people who are "down", whereas the true suferers often remain silent. I am no expert but I have seen depression close up. It is scary to watch someone you love struggle with it. It really can be a debilitating living horror. And then someone will say "Just pull yourself together" - that really takes the biscuit!
Can the Church help? YES. Pick any church. Those around me are mainly full of old folk. Old folk have what young folk lack - experience and loads of it!! From the outside everyone thinks that they are Christian because they all had simple lives and no troubles. Get under the skin and you will find in eavh church agroup of people who have experiencedevery terrible effect of life, including depression. Often those who have been there can help more by listening and talking than a newly qualified youngster straight out of training. SO COME ON OLD FOLKS, SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND HELP THOSE AROUND YOU!
Depression awareness
Thank you Mark. I was not aware of the Association of Christian Counsellors and it gives a useful starting point for those looking for help who are struggling.
Two comments though, if I may.
I think it is important to recognise that depression is as much an illness as heart diease or asthma. It has recognisable symptoms, causes significant morbidity and though the Church will pray for those with heart disease, it won't actually be doing the by-pass grafts. People who have depression need help - and skillful help and that may mean drugs as well as counselling. Drugs do work - whether they are ones like "prozac" or "St John's Wort". Both natural and manufactured drugs have recognised side effects and interactions and people who take them need appropriate advice.
Secondly, I suspect that some who say they are "depressed" are not. They may have had a row at home, their football team may have lost, or the like, but they are not depresed in a clinical sense. Depresion - like heart disease - has precise diagnostic criteria. Some people say they are depressed when in fact they are not coping.
For others depression is a result of other issues in their lives like alcohol or drugs.
Such people still need help, and the church should be ideally placed to offer a non judgemental approach to their issues. to offer joy and hope hen there is so much sadness in out world.