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Depression cripples us and makes everything difficult in our lives.

I recently saw a report from 2003 that suggested as many as 80% of people who are depressed do not get treated for the disorder.  A National Mental Health Association study indicated in 2004 that as many as 54% of people still believed that depression was a personal weakness, and I don’t think that number has likely changed a great deal in the six years since that study.  And consider this: As many as 9.5% of American adults have a mood disorder in any given year – about 21 million adults over the age of 18.

Those numbers are somewhat staggering!

• 21 million people struggling with a mood disorder this year
• as many as 80% of them not getting treated for this difficult and painful disorder
• many people still believe depression is a sign of personal weakness
• a 2003 article in Psychology Today estimated the US annual cost in labor loss at $44 billion – that’s $44,000,000,000.00.

And now for the good news:  Depression is treatable and almost always responds to treatment.  Broadly speaking, there are two ways to treat depression – psychotherapy (psychological counseling) and pharmacotherapy (medications).  Though I am partial to psychotherapy anytime someone is still able to function in their daily routines and is not suicidal, I can also tell you that research shows the combination of psychotherapy and medication to be the most effective treatment option.  Both are not always needed, but the combination is most likely to help most people.  If you are seeing a psychologist or mental health professional for counseling for depression, ask them if it would be wise to talk with a psychiatrist or family physician about medication options.  If you are taking medication for depression, ask your physician if it would be wise to talk to a therapist.  In most cases (again, not all) the right answer is “yes” to both questions.

The standard model for diagnosing a major depressive episode requires the client to endorse 5 of the 9 criteria noted in the nine questions below, with at least one of the items you endorse being either statement 1 or 2.  Go ahead and assess yourself.

The following criteria each need to be evident in your experience nearly all day nearly every day for at least two weeks of time.  Answer “yes/true” or “no/false” for each statement below: 

1. I feel depressed, sad or empty
2. I have lost interest in the things in my life that used to be pleasant or pleasurable
3. My weight has changed significantly in the past month without intent, or my appetite has changed significantly (increased or decreased)
4. I don’t sleep well anymore, or all I want to do is sleep
5. I have become increasingly restless or increasingly dull/lethargic
6. I have no energy and I feel tired all the time
7. I feel worthless or horribly guilty all the time
8. I can’t seem to concentrate on anything, and/or I can’t seem to make decisions
9. I often think about death and/or about a suicidal plan and suicide

Remember, if you answered “true” or “yes” to five or more of those statements, then you may be struggling with depression and it would be wise to get some help with this treatable condition.  Depression is not a sign of personal weakness.  Rather, it is a frustrating and painful psychological condition that can be helped with counseling and medication.

Sometimes Christian individuals receive the message that depression is a sign of spiritual weakness or failure.  That if they would just “get right with God” they would get over this weakened state.  The answer to suicidal feelings and the loss of pleasure, to feelings of hopelessness and compromised concentration, is more trust in God and more time in God’s word. 

There certainly are times when our behavior or misbehavior can contribute to a depressed condition.  But those are actually few and far between.  If you act in a way that is not consistent with your own value system or belief system, that can lead to a bad mood and a sense of personal distress.  But depression is much more severe than that.  And it doesn’t go away when you clean up your act.

Again, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that depression is a sign of personal weakness, or that it is always a response to some moral failure.  Realize that it can be severe, that it sometimes puts your life at risk, that productivity takes a huge hit, that your personal life and your relationships can be severely impacted…  and if you meet the criteria for depression, please get the help you need.

Remember that depression is treatable and that you have good reason to be hopeful.