I am here to testify that those of us in this position get medical help immediately to help us deal with the parts of this problem that do respond to medical and psychiatric therapies. We also learn not to make huge life-changing decisions, or even minor ones that mean some upheavel, while we are in this state. I.e. we don’t end a marriage, move to another state for a new job, or buy new drapes for the living room while our ability to make judgements is impaired by depression. We also deal at the same time with the spiritual dimensions of this disordered state by daily prayer and frequent recourse to the sacraments. We also ask for the sacrament of anointing if our disability has put us close to death through suicidal impulses.
When therapy and the grace of God have brought us out of this state, we then begin, with professional help and pastoral guidance if necessary (and it usually is) to deal with areas of our life that are in our power to change, and begin a spiritual journey of conversion, recognizing that we cannot change anybody else, only ourselves. This begins with trust in Divine Providence, abandoning sinful habits, and cultivating an attitude of thanksgiving. It also involves a movement toward caring for others, being other-directed, seeing Christ in others, rather than focus on oneself and one’s ow problems. I am speaking here of the post-healing stage of depression, not the time during the depressive suicidal state.
We are moving to a state where we are not prisoners or puppets of our emotions and feelings, either in our relationship with God or relationships with other people.
