Where Does Depression Come From

Where Does Depression Come From?

Its common to say that feelings of depression comes from  excessive/insufficient secretion of brain chemicals like serotonin, or dopamine, etc. But what causes elevated levels of this or that brain chemical? Do those brain chemical levels cause our depression, or are they symptoms of our depression. Do our thoughts and behaviors dictate how our brain functions chemically... or do the levels and interaction of chemicals dictate our thoughts and behaviors?

Theories and debates about mind vs. brain is a hot topic these days…. It has become common to consider the brain as a biological machine, ruled by physics. A machine which creates the illusion of a mind for various evolutionary purposes. An opposing view is that there really a mind in there operating by a different set of rules... a mind which then uses the wet machine of the brain to make its thoughts and desires come to life. Saying that the truth is "somewhere in the middle" does not solve the matter... because then you have to decide where shall we draw the line?

The bible addresses the mind/brain debate. Ecclesiastes 3:21 addresses the materialist viewpoint (is man  merely an animal), Ecclesiastes 12:7 concludes that humans have a spiritual component entwined with the material, yet separate, distinct, and immaterial, not subject to physics.

Biblical Teaching on Flesh & Spirit: You are composed of the dust of the ground (atoms, molecules, etc) but you have within you a spiritual component. When you die the dust you are made of returns to dust. The spiritual component returns to God. That spiritual component exists in God’s care BUT does not have life of its own, is not conscious, not is it immortal. It can be given the gift of everlasting life by God if He so chooses. That gift of everlasting life comes through resurrection to a body composed of incorruptible spirit. Spirits. Human spirits to which God does not give everlasting life to will be permanently destroyed.

Conclusion: human mind/consciousness is more that biological processes at work

Is Depression an Abnormality?

Its common today to consider humanity as basically good. To believe that evil, violence, injustice are brought about by environmental or cultural factors (legal, economic, racial). The theory is that, if we can address those negative influences, human beings can be restored to their natural state of goodness, peace, contentment etc.

This same thinking affects how we view depression. Depression is considered an abnormal state which needs to be remedied however possible... so the patient can be returned to their "natural" state of happiness, contentment, and inner peace.

I put it to you that depression is part of the human condition brought about by separation from God… from the tree of life…  knowledge of good and evil. We all share these fundamental deficiencies. The difference comes in how we process these thoughts and experiences.

Different Ways of Processing Thoughts

Imagine you are driving down a two lane highway... an 18 wheeler is coming at you in the opposite lane... for a moment you think "If I swerved my steering wheel to the left I'd hit that truck head on and be killed in an instant"... Some people listen to their own thoughts and worry "there must be something wrong with me. Thoughts like that can't be normal. There must be something wrong with me, am I suicidal".... “I need help”

You might be  surprised to learn that most people have that same thought. Its not unique. Others hear that inner voice and quickly dismiss it as silly and unworthy of further consideration. I put it to you that everybody faces thought patterns we typically associate with depression. Its part of being human. But different people handle/process these thoughts differently.

Defining Depression

There is no clear and agreed upon definition of exactly what constitutes depression. But, here are the basic criteria for determining depression according to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders). Depression is characterized by: 1) Deep impairing sorrow and sadness 2) Hopelessness - inability to conceive of a positive future 3) Guilt, shame and sense of personal worthlessness.

Feelings of sorrow, hopelessness, guilt are highly subjective. Definitions and statistics are based on how people say they feel rather than upon specific biomarkers. Elevated or low brain chemical levels are related to these feelings... but do they cause the feelings or do the feelings cause them?

Depression can affect a person biologically with observable symptoms: tears, catatonia (mental paralysis), insomnia, brain atrophy (leading to early death). Guilt can lead to insecurity, indecision, leading to poor life decisions, even self harm.

Biology or Spirituality?

The materialist, humanistic approach is that all these are biological in nature. The spiritual dimension and the spiritual solutions are brushed aside as figments of the imagination... prayer might make people feel better but its not real.

But the bible does have a lot to say about the causes of what we call depression... and offers solutions radically different from the medical/pharmaceutical... solutions which are highly effective if understood and applied. Is there a place for pills... there can be... especially when a person is overwhelmed by symptoms… but pills won’t address the core issues of mind and spirit. We should not ignore what God's word says to us about depression, sorrow, hopelessness, and guilt.

Seeing Depression in the Bible

The modern use of the word "depression" to describe a sate of mind isn't found in the bible. But that doesn't m an the bible is silent on the subject. The bible just uses a different vocabulary to discuss the same issues (so its a translation issue).

The Hebrew might use words like; pain, troubled, afflicted to indicate deep sorrow. A phrase like crushed sprit might be used to indicate a sense of hopelessness. Hebrew routinely uses the same word for physical pain as it does for mental anguish.

Proverbs 18:14 notice that physical affliction is contrasted with mental affliction... and the psychological pain is deemed worse. Introducing the spiritual element opens up the realm of affliction to include; our sense of self identity, our desires, aspirations, sense of purpose and value. Instead of the vague and abstract word depression the bible uses a much more powerful and violent lingo... a spirit that is crushed... destroyed.

Another wordset to look out for is vexation. The dictionary meaning of the various Hebrew words rendered as "vexation" ... include, terror, fear, trauma, a sense of oppression, feeling trapped, boxed in unfulfilled longing. Similar to vexation in variety of possible shades of meaning is the common word "distress". Another one to look at is "trembling".

Guilt (which the DSM-5 includes in its breakdown of depression) is handled more obviously in biblical translation. Although it tends to refer to guilt before God's law rather than irrational guilt based on the aftermath of abuse, warfare, violence,  etc..

Psalm 77:1-9 notice that subjective states of mind like "distress" or "troubled" or “sense of abandonment” are linked together with the observable symptoms such as, insomnia, catatonia (similar Psalms often include excessive weeping).

When you start looking for it, depictions of depression are everywhere in the bible. Spiritual giants like Moses, Jeremiah, Elijah... were often filled with sorrow/sadness, a sense of hopelessness, thoughts of personal worthlessness (existential guilt). To have depression is not sin, struggling against depression is not abnormal. Addressing depression is part of processing what it means to be human… a spiritual being cut off from God… cut off from the very source of life.

You might even say feelings of depression means taking an honest look at the world we live in and the people we interact with... feeling sorrow that it is what it is. Recognizing our hopelessness in the face of inevitable death… unable to conceive of a positive future… seeing how far we fall short of even our own standards, let alone God's. Maybe the depressed people are on to something.

Isaiah 53:3-4 Jesus himself was a man of sorrow... burdened with the heavy weight of seeing the world as it really is... He understood the sense of hopelessness faced by human beings and wept along with us... even crying out with an irrational sense of abandonment while dying on the cross.

Jesus lived the human experience and knows what its like... He felt the flood of thoughts we call depression... He faced it and did not allow feelings of depression to overwhelm Him.  

Spiritual Origins of Depression

Sorrow, hopelessness and guilt are the state of all humanity. But why? Did God build these patterns of thought into our DNA? Yes and no... God designed us as jars of clay ready to be filled with spirit and life… with the potential to enter into full glory as sons and daughters in His family. But He also gave us freedom… freedom to choose.

Humanity brought depression into our world when we chose to disobey God, chose to decide for ourself what is right and wrong, chose a path that would separate us from our Father in whose image we are created. Depression is the proper human response to being banished from His presence and cut off from the tree of life.

The answer to depression is found in getting ourselves back on to the path to glory God made us for... to find our way back to that positive future through Jesus Christ. So, in some ways we talk about how to address depression every Sabbath.

Sorrow

Genesis 3:16 because of her bad choices God gave woman sorrow related to childbirth. This refers not to just the physical pain associated with delivery but the emotional pain. Post-partum depression is real... and its mental or spiritual pain. Even the monthly cycle of menstruation (a part of the reproductive cycle) is associated with depression... hormonal yes, but also spiritual pain.

Genesis 3:17 because of his bad choices God gave the man sorrow related to work. This refers to physical pain (heavy labor, toil) but also the frustration, and feelings of futility related to work and providing for a family.

Hopelessness

Genesis 3:22-24 all humanity is hopeless because all humanity is dying. We have no way to stop the process and no way to give ourself everlasting life. Hope means and expectation of something good. With regards to life... humanity is cut off from hope.

Guiltiness

Genesis 3:6-10  human beings chose to take knowledge of good and evil upon themself. They chose something bad (disobedience to God). Knowing both good and evil they knew what they did was wrong and felt guilt. They tried to hide (hiding their naked bodies perhaps revealing a sense of shame over  what  they had become).

Sorrow, hopelessness, and guilt have remained a huge part of the human experience. Everyone deals with feelings of depression... different people process these thoughts in different ways... is there a hereditary proclivity involved in how we process these thoughts... I think so. But the answer to depression is always the same. You have to change your perspective and the way you think.

The best answer to depression is the gospel. Knowing Christ will return tells you the sad state of the world will be addressed in a meaningful and successful way. Knowing that through His resurrection Jesus Christ shows us resurrection to eternal life is possible. He walked the path as an example and beckons you to follow. Your sense of guilt for sin can be remedied through Jesus sacrifice of His life. Your sense of guilt for other things, real or imagined, biblical or social, childhood abuse, battlefeid trauma… ALL can be washed away by the blood of Christ which cleanses the conscience.

How we handle the symptoms is one thing… BUT how we address and overcome the root causes of depression is through Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

There is much more that can be said about depression, tactics for how to deal with it day to day. We can explore the subcategories of guilt, hopelessness, or sorrow more thoroughly... and perhaps we will. However, the purpose of today's message has been to demonstrate that the bible acknowledges what we call depression... the bible uses different words, examples and social situations than we might... but the discussion is there... the answers are there.