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When life is hard

 

This week a friend cried as she confided that her grandson had tried to commit suicide. Poor mental health well-being is an epidemic that is rising every year and my country has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world.

In my parent’s day, depression was not recognized as an illness, but rather as something akin to self-pity or a poor attitude. I recall suffering from post-natal depression and when I confessed to my mother how black everything seemed, and how I couldn’t imagine any future, she said, “Oh for goodness sake. You have a new baby, you have everything to look forward to. Stop being silly and get on with it.” Now my mother was a wonderful, loving and caring mum and grandmother but she was simply repeating what her generation were told. In fact, she quite possibly suffered depression herself and just had to “get on with it!”

I took myself to the family doctor who said, “Yes, you have the clinical symptoms of depression but I don’t like prescribing drugs. You’re a sensible person, you’ll be fine.” This was in the 1980’s. I wasn’t fine! Thank God for a wonderful sister who helped me through plus a wise Plunket Nurse.

History shows that people with mental health issues were treated appallingly—including being burned at the stake, incarcerated in mental asylums with horrific conditions, given lobotomies or electroconvulsive therapy (apparently the modern method is safe but it certainly did not used to be).

Christians sometimes blamed it on lack of faith or lack of trust or a punishment from God because of sin in the depressed person’s life. It might also be blamed on the devil. This did and does do harm to individuals and certainly shows a lack of understanding and love for those afflicted.

In 2022, Harvard Health stated, “research suggests …… there are many possible causes of depression including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.”

As a Christian, if anyone confides symptoms of depression, I listen to them, pray with them and encourage them to get help. I have compassion for them. It is sometimes appropriate to offer scriptures that give comfort and love. Too often Christians walk this journey alone because they are afraid of what others will say and I find that extremely sad.

God is always near to the broken-hearted.

#blogger, #depression, #Christian

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