Encouragement for people with depression

[kellie]

I would like to open this thread with the story of my ordeal through treatment for depression.Anyone of you out there that is inflicted with this illness, please know that I have been where you have too.
I saw a psychiatrist for a few months last year to help me with my depression.
I was seeing him every fortnight.
I found him to be a great help. He helped me realise that I am special, unique, worthy of love, and many more issues concerning self-esteem.
He helped me discover where I lost my self esteem along my path in life.
Childhood issues were discussed, thrashed out, bawled over, and I now know where I have been, where I am, and where I would like to go.
I just need help now knowing how to get there.
However, I didn’t feel I was loved, until it hit me early this year, that God has been with me my whole life, through all those down times.
He has loved me when I have felt like the most unloved person in the whole world.
He has carried me through the pains, even though they hurt, He has got me to this day in my life.
To all of you who have been diagnosed with depression, remember God is with you.
He did not give you this illness to punish you for some sins that you have committed along the way(which was how I felt for ages).
He created us, which in turn means He created all the pains and illnesses that are associated with being human.
He loves us no matter what.
When you are feeling most lonely, look up to the skies(or the ceiling as is the case when I am in bed feeling alone), and talk to Him.
He is our best friend. And He is always listening.
I still have my down days, but when I am screaming inside for the depression to stop overcoming me, I know God too is screaming alongside me, and I know He dances for joy when the feeling passes, and I can continue on with life.
Love Kellie

 

[Veronica_Anne]

How brave of you, Kellie, to start a thread on depression! You can’t yet know how many people reading this post you’ve touched and helped to heal.

I love you, Kelly… from all the way out here I’m sending you a hug!!



Your sister in Christ,
Veronica Anne

 

[Bonnie]

I’ve struggled with depression & ADD since my teens. I’ve been on medication for the last 3 years & it’s been WONDERFUL! All the talk therapy I did for years never helped.

My main problem now is the feeling that I’m “cheating” by taking meds instead of doing it on my own. I prayed for years to overcome my impulsivness & depression & the answer turned out to be a little pill. Oh, well. God works in mysterious ways!

 

[stbruno]

One who encourages me in prayer is St. Dympha, the patron for those who are depressed. I got tihs from a saints index website

DYMPHNA

http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintd01.jpg

Also known as Dympna; Dimpna Memorial 15 May Profile Daughter of a pagan Irish chieftain named Damon, and a beautiful devoted Christian woman whose name has not come down to us. Her mother died when Dymphna was a teenager. Her father searched the Western world for a woman to replace his wife, but none could. Returning home, he saw that his daughter was as beautiful as her mother, and maddened by grief, he made advances on her. She fought him off, then fled to Belgium with Saint Gerebernus, an elderly priest and family friend.

Dymphna’s father searched for them, and his search led to Belgium. There an innkeeper refused to accept his money, knowing it was difficult to exchange. This told Damon that his daughter was close - it would be unusual for a village innkeeper to know a lot about foreign currency, and his knowledge indicated that had recently seen it. The king concentrated his search in the area. When he found them in Gheel, he beheaded Gerebernus, and demanded that Dymphna surrender to him. She refused, and he killed her in a rage.

The site where she died is known for its miraculous healings of the insane and possessed. There is now a well-known institution on the site, and her relics are reported to cure insanity and epilepsy.

 

[stbruno]

more on St.Dymphna Patronage depression, mental illness, mentally ill people, nervous disorders, neurological disorders, possessed people, rape victims, runaways, sleepwalkers, therapists Prayers Prayer I to…,
Prayer II to…,
…for the intercession of…,
Nine Prayers to…,
Representation princess with a sword holding the devil on a leash; often shown with Saint Gerebernus; princess holding a lamp and sword; lamp; kneeling at Mass while her father murders the priest Gerebernus; praying in a cloud surrounded by a group of lunatics bound with golden chains; being beheaded by the king Storefront Commercial Links related to Saint Dymphna 8 medals, 1 chaplet, 1 book, 1 holy card] Images Gallery of images of Saint Dymphna 6 images, 156 kb] Additional Information Google Directory
For All The Saints, by Katherine Rabenstein
Catholic Encyclopedia, by J P Kirsch
Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
**

Readings Lord, our God, you graciously chose Saint Dymphna as patroness of those afflicted with mental and nervous disorders. She is thus an inspiration and a symbol of charity to the thousands who ask her intercession.

Please grant, Lord, through the prayers of this pure youthful martyr, relief and consolation to all suffering such trials, and especially those for whom we pray. (Here mention those for whom you wish to pray).

We beg you, Lord, to hear the prayers of Saint Dymphna on our behalf. Grant all those for whom we pray patience in their sufferings and resignation to your divine will. Please fill them with hope, and grant them the relief and cure they so much desire.

We ask this through Christ our Lord who suffered agony in the garden. Amen

 

[Maggie]

Bonnie:

I’ve struggled with depression & ADD since my teens. I’ve been on medication for the last 3 years & it’s been WONDERFUL! All the talk therapy I did for years never helped.

My main problem now is the feeling that I’m “cheating” by taking meds instead of doing it on my own. I prayed for years to overcome my impulsivness & depression & the answer turned out to be a little pill. Oh, well. God works in mysterious ways!

You are SO not cheating by taking the medications!!! Are people who take chemotherapy for cancer cheating? Are people who take insulin for diabetes cheating? Remember the joke about the two boats and the helicopter and the guy gets to heaven and says “But Lord I trusted in you my whole life what happened” and God replies “who do you think sent the boats and the helicopter?!?” I’ve struggled with severe episodic depression since my mid teens and it wasn’t until my cousin committed suicide three years ago that I realized I might eventually lose the fight. I’ve been on medication ever since and I thank God for every new day. Don’t be afraid to use the resources He has given us to fight this battle. He has never let me down and He never will. But I thank Him tremendously for the good I can do for others now that so much of my energy isn’t going into survival.

 

[shannin]

Bless you Bonnie,

Kellie is right.

There are many many good medications out there today that help with depression and they have minimal side effects and seeing a Christian counselor can really help. It’s NOT CHEATING in any way to take these medications…AND----Along with the above, and most importantly, going to Confession regularly and receiving the Holy Eucharist as often as possible is so healing and prescious.

Last month I started experiencing a feeling of being very lonely and alone so I just this week started attending daily Mass and receiving the Host during my lunch hour. When I come back to work, I have such a feeling of peace and I don’t feel lonely anymore and it makes me so aware of how much I am personally loved by my Savior.

Blessings,
Shannin

 

[hawkeye]

kellie:

I would like to open this thread with the story of my ordeal through treatment for depression.Anyone of you out there that is inflicted with this illness, please know that I have been where you have too.
I saw a psychiatrist for a few months last year to help me with my depression.
I was seeing him every fortnight.
I found him to be a great help. He helped me realise that I am special, unique, worthy of love, and many more issues concerning self-esteem.
He helped me discover where I lost my self esteem along my path in life.
Childhood issues were discussed, thrashed out, bawled over, and I now know where I have been, where I am, and where I would like to go.
I just need help now knowing how to get there.
However, I didn’t feel I was loved, until it hit me early this year, that God has been with me my whole life, through all those down times.
He has loved me when I have felt like the most unloved person in the whole world.
He has carried me through the pains, even though they hurt, He has got me to this day in my life.
To all of you who have been diagnosed with depression, remember God is with you.
He did not give you this illness to punish you for some sins that you have committed along the way(which was how I felt for ages).
He created us, which in turn means He created all the pains and illnesses that are associated with being human.
He loves us no matter what.
When you are feeling most lonely, look up to the skies(or the ceiling as is the case when I am in bed feeling alone), and talk to Him.
He is our best friend. And He is always listening.
I still have my down days, but when I am screaming inside for the depression to stop overcoming me, I know God too is screaming alongside me, and I know He dances for joy when the feeling passes, and I can continue on with life.
Love Kellie

I go through bouts of it, but prayer always helps, sometimes if we cut ourselves off from God the depression seems to get worse, well for me anyway.
After deep thoughtful prayer the depression sometimes lifts, so maybe there is an evil side to it ???

 

[Maggie]

hawkeye:

I go through bouts of it, but prayer always helps, sometimes if we cut ourselves off from God the depression seems to get worse, well for me anyway.
After deep thoughtful prayer the depression sometimes lifts, so maybe there is an evil side to it ???

Without a doubt there is a spiritual side to it!!! I call them demonic attacks, but whatever you call them, they are awful. The only thing that works is prayer to get you through, the only person who CAN get you through is God. I truly believe that I would be buried in a cornfield already were it not for God. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that it is His spiritual protection that has saved me every time. But it isn’t an either/or with the medications. Both are necessary. I could no more take a pill and cease to need God than pray only and cease to take the medication. Could God keep me alive… absolutely… could I serve God in the manner in which He calls me to… not unless His only use for me is as a battleground .

 

[Tressa]

To all who suffer from depression along with many other symptoms, there is another take on what might have brought this on in one’s life. Last year on the Abundant Life show on EWTN a Catholic Psychologist named Suzanne Baars was interviewed about the work of her father Dr. Conrad W. Baars, M.D. and of Dr. Anna A. Terruwe, M.D. They came across their findings in the 1960’s when they could not seem to understand why some people did not respond to the normal approach in therapy. This would include people with depression, feelings of being unloved, worthlessness, inferior, inadequate, etc. What they found was that these people did not suffer from repression which is the common factor. They suffer what they termed, Emotional Deprivation Disorder. This in a nutshell is when the emotional development in a person (the time when the development occurs – infancy through young adult) is stunted. The child continues to grow physically, but the emotional development is far behind. This occurs when a child is denied the natural love, affection, and affirmation needed to progress in emotional growth. There are different levels of depravity depending on the circumstances that were lacking in the child’s life (less severe symptoms would be classified as: inadequately affirmed persons). If our emotional development has been retarded or stunted, the result can lead to an imbalance, or a person who does not feel whole. The effects of this can be seen in our energy level.
The therapy for this is to affirm the person by giving them authentic unconditional love. This is accomplished not by “doing”, but by “being.” It is a sense of “being” to the individual. There are three books which I have that I can recommend to you: “Healing the Unaffirmed”; “Feeling and Healing your Emotions”; and “Born only once.”
The book, Healing the Unaffirmed, will be an eye opener! You may think the book was written solely with you in mind. I did!

For more information on this subject please go to:
www.conradbaars.com

The first book can be found at Amazon.com and the others can be obtained through Living His Life Abundantly - www.lhla.org