Do antidepressants betray faithlessness?

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I was about to ask the very same question as the OP. When doing a web search for “catholic and depression” I came across ths website and it upset me greatly.

chastitysf.com/depanx.htm

There is a huge stigma around depression (certainly here in the UK) as people who suffer from this illness are often considered weak. The website above certainly made me feel that way.

I have been on medication for depression for 5 years now. I believe the cause of my depression to be environmental (personal circumstances) rather than biological.

I am 28 years old and I am a virtual recluse. I have withdrawn from family and friends, and continue to avoid people. Going outside fills me with anxiety. Every day of my life I feel overwhelming loneliness and despair. For the past fortnight I have been at my lowest point as I have lost my beloved 7 month old kitten. She was my only companion and the only source of joy in my life. I have stopped eating, stopped showering and I haven’t been to work since she became ill a month ago. Right now I cannot see a future ahead of me, only loneliness and pain.

Five years ago I was an outgoing girl with an active social life and now I feel like a social cripple. Antidepressants are not wonder pills that make you happy. They keep me functioning and able to work.

I don’t know. Maybe this is the cross that I am supposed to bear. I don’t think antidepressants are wrong. They do not take away our pain and suffering. If they save lives, then surely that is a blessing from God?
 
Lynsey101 said:
I was about to ask the very same question as the OP. When doing a web search for “catholic and depression” I came across ths website and it upset me greatly.

chastitysf.com/depanx.htm

There is a huge stigma around depression (certainly here in the UK) as people who suffer from this illness are often considered weak. The website above certainly made me feel that way.

I have been on medication for depression for 5 years now. I believe the cause of my depression to be environmental (personal circumstances) rather than biological.

I am 28 years old and I am a virtual recluse. I have withdrawn from family and friends, and continue to avoid people. Going outside fills me with anxiety. Every day of my life I feel overwhelming loneliness and despair. For the past fortnight I have been at my lowest point as I have lost my beloved 7 month old kitten. She was my only companion and the only source of joy in my life. I have stopped eating, stopped showering and I haven’t been to work since she became ill a month ago. Right now I cannot see a future ahead of me, only loneliness and pain.

Five years ago I was an outgoing girl with an active social life and now I feel like a social cripple. Antidepressants are not wonder pills that make you happy. They keep me functioning and able to work.

I don’t know. Maybe this is the cross that I am supposed to bear. I don’t think antidepressants are wrong. They do not take away our pain and suffering. If they save lives, then surely that is a blessing from God?
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I would submit that the website above is dangerous and that the authors don’t know diddly squat about depression and anxiety. Again…Grrrrrrrr! :mad:

As someone already said on this thread, God doesn’t need us to SEEK OUT sufferings. He sends us help in our sufferings…sometimes spiritual help and consolations, sometimes through friends and family, sometimes through doctors and counseling.

If a depressed person fails to trust God by taking medication, then the cancer patient also fails to trust God by doing chemotherapy.

Yes, cancer and depression, all types of illness, are crosses that people are called to bear. But not without help from God! We can do all things through God who strengthens us…sometimes strengthens us with SSRIs. 👍
 
Read Jesus ben Sirach, chapter 38 verses 1 through 15. This is the Judeo-Catholic interpretation of the place of physicians and pharmaceuticals in the life of the faithful. It urges us to go to the doctor for help when we are sick, to take medications as prescribed and to pray for God’s help in our infirmity.

Matthew
 
drafdog said:
Read Jesus ben Sirach, chapter 38 verses 1 through 15. This is the Judeo-Catholic interpretation of the place of physicians and pharmaceuticals in the life of the faithful. It urges us to go to the doctor for help when we are sick, to take medications as prescribed and to pray for God’s help in our infirmity.

Matthew
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Thank you, Matthew. Beautiful…

1
1 Hold the physician in honor, for he is essential to you, and God it was who established his profession.
2
From God the doctor has his wisdom, and the king provides for his sustenance.
3
His knowledge makes the doctor distinguished, and gives him access to those in authority.
4
God makes the earth yield healing herbs which the prudent man should not neglect;
5
Was not the water sweetened by a twig that men might learn his power?
6
He endows men with the knowledge to glory in his mighty works,
7
Through which the doctor eases pain and the druggist prepares his medicines;
8
Thus God’s creative work continues without cease in its efficacy on the surface of the earth.
9
My son, when you are ill, delay not, but pray to God, who will heal you:
10
Flee wickedness; let your hands be just, cleanse your heart of every sin;
11
Offer your sweet-smelling oblation and petition, a rich offering according to your means.
12
Then give the doctor his place lest he leave; for you need him too.
13
There are times that give him an advantage,
14
and he too beseeches God That his diagnosis may be correct and his treatment bring about a cure.
15
He who is a sinner toward his Maker will be defiant toward the doctor.
 
I have read the entire thread and a few points come to mind.
  1. Most of those who don’t suffer from clinical depression have no idea what they are talking about.
  2. Medication is not a magic wand as one person said. I take quite a bit of medicine to stabilize my mental state and that is all that it does, stabilize it. I still suffer from depression and suicidal idolizations on the medicines.
  3. Yes the above mentioned is my cross to bear.
  4. Someone on page one talked about treating their depression both medically and spiritually. That is fantastic advise. Just going to confession always raises my mood as well as receiving the Eucharist
  5. to answer the original question: NO antidepressants do not betray faithlessness.
  6. Ericka please seek help, we all love you here on the boards and want what is best for you.
 
rebusms,

I agree with all your points with only one qualification. Depression might in some cases betray faithlessness, or perhaps better, the “reistence to God’s movement to take the next step in holiness.” That was my situation at least and many saints suggest that this is a possibility in some cases. Don’t hesitate to get medical attention but don’t hesitate to explore your spiritual walk as well.

CDL
 
GregoryPalamas said:
rebusms,

I agree with all your points with only one qualification. Depression might in some cases betray faithlessness, or perhaps better, the “reistence to God’s movement to take the next step in holiness.” That was my situation at least and many saints suggest that this is a possibility in some cases. Don’t hesitate to get medical attention but don’t hesitate to explore your spiritual walk as well.

CDL
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well said I stand corrected 👍
 
The medications can help you live a normal life. They are not “happy pills”. They do not flatline your emotions. They can help you to get out of the dumps and develop a good spiritual life. Recognizing that you have depression is a powerful first step. Take the medicines prescribed (many are available in generic form quite inexpensively). Also get some counseling. One practical thing to do is to get out of bed right away in the morning. Laying around will only bring you down. Fill up your day with activity and try to help others. Depression is a challenge to live with, it is not a moral flaw.
 
Some of us need to take anti-depressants forever, some do not. Look at it as a way to get stable while working on other aspects of your life… I would STRONGLY suggest Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - you learn how to analyze your thoughts and change how you think and perceive. Praying helps too!

You will still have your bad days on meds, so there will be an opportunity for you to continue to offer up your suffering. It’s just that you will be able to accept that tomorrow might be a better day! Depression tends to give us a sense of bleakness - that this it the best it gets, and will likely get worse as time goes by.

You will be in my prayers.
 
ErikaA said:
is depression a cross that some simply must bear and thus, does taking antidepressants betray a lack of trust in God? Or are these drugs an instrument of grace for those who suffer (i.e. a gift from God)?
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Does taking an antibiotic when I have a bacterial infection mean that I don’t trust God? Or should I stay sick so I can use use my sickness as part of the cross Christ asked me to bear? Which choice would God be most likely to commend?
 
djrakowski said:
What qualifies you to say that this happens “often,” and how is one to tell the difference?

It’s awfully difficult to discern the difference between real, clinical depression and the type of despair that results from resisting the Holy Spirit. And people with responsibilities that include parenting children are well-advised to seek the advice of competent professionals as quickly as possible, and strongly consider the risks and benefits of the treatment plans they offer, even if they include the use of prescription drugs.

Unless you’re intimately familiar with the situation in which the OP finds herself, your comments are a bit out of place.
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Amen!

Palamas, or whoever brought up Mother Teresa, she’s not a valid example. As someone who spent her life working at providing medical care, among other things, for the poor, I’m sure Mother would have been the first person to seek and make use of appropriate medical treatment herself - IF her problem had indeed been medical!

‘Dark Night of the Soul’ as it’s called, and as Mother Teresa may’ve suffered from, isn’t really related to depression, though I suppose in some cases the two may seem similar in certain regards.

It may require discernment and the advice of someone knowledgeable in spiritual matters to figure out if a particular person suffers from depression or from dark night, but the two are not to be confused, and I’m sure Mother Teresa had more than adequate spiritual and medical attention to know which was which in her case.
 
Thank you to everyone who posted. I went to my doctor on Friday and talked with her about my feelings of despondency. She prescribed LexaPro and I’ll see her again in a month. I may indeed need to seek out a psychiatrist or therapist, although at this point, I’m feeling a bit better. Could be three days on the Antidepressant is making a difference. Don’t know.

Anyway, as I analyzed my thoughts and feelings over the past few months, I realized that my black mood, Sylvia Plath-like despair, was actually destroying my prayer life. Which in turn made me more despondent. Also, the more others would remind me of the blessings in my life (husband and kids), the more depressed I would become, thinking how worthless I really was to not apprehend all these great blessings. It was a vicious cycle and last week was the bottom of the trough for me. Had I not done something, anything, I just don’t know what would have happened.

One more thing I observed is that my temper was horrible along with the bleak attitude. Seriously, last week, I began to see how Andrea Yates did it. I think that was the clue that something was wrong. You all helped me to get over those mental stumbling blocks to medication. In the end, I know it was pride that kept me from taking them in the past. I wanted to believe I was “stronger than that.” Now I feel somewhat humbled, but hopefully the fog is beginning to lift. I’ve begun to really pray again, as though this whole process has emphasized my reliance on God. That is good. So thank you for your support and advice. It is truly a blessing to me.
 
Congrats on going to the doctor! THAT was a strong decision.

I’m on Lexapro, it helps me very much. The only thing you want to watch out for…DO NOT make any changes in your medication or dosage without talking to your doc first.

So glad you’re doing a little bit better already. Thanks be to God!
 
Continued prayers for your treatment and healing, Erika!
God bless!
 
I second the poster who said don’t make changes without talking to the doctor. Also, try not to get too discouraged if the first medicine you try doesn’t work. I went through multiple drugs before I found the right combination for me. Everyone is different and their bodies respond differently to the medication.

I’ve found that my prayer life greatly improved once I was able to get my depression under control. My only regret is that I didn’t seek the help I needed sooner.
 
I’m so glad you went to the doctor. For me, that was the hardest part – getting myself to actually go, then getting myself to open my mouth and say how I felt. I think things will only get better for you from here. Praying for you.
 
djrakowski said:
So am I. But, what does that have to do with the topic of this thread?
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Some of us converted out of depression. And the Church healed us more than medication ever did. But it should be noted that medicine will be needed for especially severe cases, and we can’t be too proud to recognize that. If you are aware of the risks that come with taking antidepressants, yet really feel that you need them, take them. I just urge everyone who reads this that, if you do end up on antidepressants for the sake of yourself and those around you, please be careful that they don’t end up hurting you or those around you more. It’s an awful thing to watch. Best of luck in your struggles and know that you are in the prayers of those who care about you.
Pax
 
Penny_Plain said:
I’m pretty sure they had beer. Still used as a remedy for depression today.
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Not only that, but they probably ‘managed’ depression (called melancholia back then) about a well as they ‘managed’ diabetes, infected wounds and the like - ie not very well at all. And if they had had any of the modern treatments - insulin, antibiotics and yes, antidepressants - they probably wouldn’t have hesitated to use them.
 
I didn’t like antidepressants. They worked for a bit then stopped. I have a taken so many different types it isn’t even funny. I finally gave up and threw them out. Ironically, I’ve been happier. I have found constructive ways to deal with those down times.

However, I was not severely depressed. I never had thoughts of suicide, nor self mutilation.

I have met people, who do need medicine. They cannot function without it. For my SIL, it gets her out of bed and eating. Otherwise she sleeps all day and doesn’t eat. There is no way God would want her to suffer and starve to death just to avoid a few pills.
 
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