Clinically Diagnosed Depression and Anxiety

preciouslove0x

Well-Known Member
If a loved one was clinically diagnosed with depression and high anxiety would you recommend them seek help from their pastor, a mental health professional (specifically talk therapy) or both or one of the other? What is your reasoning? Would you recommend them to take medication if there life was at stake and either treatment did not seem to work?

Thoughts and comments are appreciated.
 

Rainbow Dash

Well-Known Member
I would say both. If a person needs professional help then they should seek it. These people are trained to help with these type of issues. A pastor can provide counseling and support to help the person's faith and trusting God to free them and help them to meditate on the word of God. If medication is necessary then, yes. Some people may require medication especially when their life is in danger.
 

lilanie

New Member
I would push the medication and pastoral counseling ~ why?
Because if they are "worked up" (and I dont mean this in a condescending tone) - nothing anyone says will matter...

I had high anxiety for years and until i had medication (topomax, synthyroid and zoloft), I hadn't calmed down enough to self-reflect or admit that I needed help. In fact i stayed on the meds, but reduced the "talk" sessions, why because all my professional did was listen, when I need direction and coping skills ~ all it did was have me fired up and then I'd have to go back to work with the same knuckleheads that exacerbated my condition.
 
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LifeafterLHCF

New Member
I would find a medical trained pro who has a christian philosophy or outlook.I'm down for psyc's but in the same breathe they will at times make you believe its all someone else's fault or mask you with pills..someone needs to help with the physical but also the spiritual side as well.
 

brg240

Well-Known Member
I would say both and I am okay with medications too if they are needed.

When I was being treated for clinical depression/social anxiety i went to a Christian psychotherapy place. My psychologist could understand where I was coming from as a Christian and could pray for me, something that i know a secular councilor wouldn't do. And while a pastor can council people, I wouldn't have talked to any of the pastors at my church :nono:

I know some people are against antidepressants and i understand that. But, they are truly necessary in some cases. They can make all the difference.
 

LucieLoo12

Well-Known Member
I would say both as well... Medication will control and suppress the symptoms but to be healed completely takes Jesus Christ
 

Guitarhero

New Member
I would find a medical trained pro who has a christian philosophy or outlook.I'm down for psyc's but in the same breathe they will at times make you believe its all someone else's fault or mask you with pills..someone needs to help with the physical but also the spiritual side as well.

I soooo agree with this and tried to explain this in the other thread on mental illness in that other forum. I know what the trained therapists on there are saying...but I don't buy this notion that they cannot "help" it. I've also dealt with depression and until I was willing to give up my own selfish feelings and outlook, I was not healing (minor depression).

I also realize that there are various stages of illness brought about by varying cirumstances (environmental and/or chemical imbalance) so people are not all the same. I've got a friend who got off his meds (had money problems) and got into some serious trouble and is now serving time. :nono: It's important to follow the doctor's treatment and I hope that people will seek out meditation of some form to help them spiritually with these problems. Fault: could be initiated by others but if we nurture it continuously that way, we're dying ourselves, from the inside-out.
 
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brg240

Well-Known Member
I soooo agree with this and tried to explain this in the other thread on mental illness in that other forum. I know what the trained therapists on there are saying...but I don't buy this notion that they cannot "help" it. I've also dealt with depression and until I was willing to give up my own selfish feelings and outlook, I was not healing (minor depression).

I understand what you're saying but I don't know. I'm not going to say to someone oh you have cancer well it's clearly that you could help it. You're just not trying hard enough.

It's so easy to say well if you don't think negative then you wouldn't be depressed. But that is definetly not something i experienced.

I'm not sure how to put it in words but that type of thinking definetly worsened my depression last year. I mean I'm a Christian, we're more than conquerors right? The Bible said we were supposed to be joyous. How could I let my mind stay on such dark thoughts.

I thought that I was such a horrible Christian. I mean how dare I feel like that. I wish I could put into words my thoughts and the guilt, disgust and hatred that i was directing at myself.

I know I'm not making much sense but it's because I don't know how to process it all. I don't think we should blame others but making depression to be something that is easy to overcome, is just asking for self loathing imo.
 

Guitarhero

New Member
^^^brg240


That's a gross misrepresentation of what I know from experience, feel and think about mental illness and it's victims. Sorry. You'd have to read my other posts. There was one little point made from another poster about self-responsibility and I chimned in on it from personal experience. I was only addressing that tiny little tidbit and it was not to be taken as the whole of mental illness experiences. I made it clear that there are various levels of mental illness. I was only addressing minor depressions where SOME people have this idea that it's everybody else's faults for their negative experiences and outlook on life and spiral into a deeper depression when it is not chemical imbalance. Sometimes, looking at self, when it can be helped[/U], is part of the solution and there are few in minor depressions who truly wish to see themselves in the correct light and be able to lift themselves out of it. Goddessmaker planted that particular tidbit I'm talking about correctly into the spiritual realm. Again, this was not to be taken as the definitive answer for all or even most mental illness but only that particular point 1)when it can be helped 2)when it is not chemical imbalance and 3)when the person is aware of self. In other word, in minor depressions, we can't continuously blame others for our misery...we have to take ourselves out of it with G-d's help and hold onto positivity, not fretting with hopelessness. Obviously, that won't apply for somebody who is chemically imbalanced and in very serious manic depression etc. :look:
 
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Leigh

Well-Known Member
I would have them strongly look at their diet and then really get in that Word. Fasting and prayer is also essential along with meditating on the Word.
 
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