{"id":25228,"date":"2025-05-20T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T12:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25228"},"modified":"2025-05-17T08:06:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T12:06:11","slug":"we-need-to-talk-about-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2025\/05\/we-need-to-talk-about-depression.html","title":{"rendered":"We Need to Talk\u2026 About Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2025\/05\/lonely-7260564_1280.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-25234\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2025\/05\/lonely-7260564_1280.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Not long ago, I asked a question on social media:<br \/>\n<em>\u201cIs it easy to talk about depression in the church?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The overwhelming response?\u00a0<em>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In fact, many people said the church was the\u00a0<em>last<\/em>\u00a0place they felt comfortable discussing something that affects 1 in 10 people in the U.S. That\u2019s a sobering reality\u2014and a call to action. We need to do better.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Depression Deserves Compassion, Not Silence<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For many, depression feels like a personal failure or spiritual weakness. But that couldn&#8217;t be further from the truth. Depression is not just a \u201cbad mood\u201d or something you can \u201csnap out of.\u201d It&#8217;s a complex medical condition that requires understanding, support, and often professional treatment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What Causes Depression?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many people don\u2019t realize how layered and varied the causes of depression can be. Here are just a few:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Medical conditions<\/strong>\u00a0like hypothyroidism, heart disease, sleep apnea, Parkinson\u2019s, Alzheimer\u2019s, HIV\/AIDS, chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Neurological and hormonal changes<\/strong>\u00a0that disrupt brain chemistry and emotional regulation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Family history<\/strong>\u00a0of mental illness, which may indicate genetic susceptibility.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Substance use and withdrawal<\/strong>\u00a0from drugs such as cocaine, sedatives, narcotics, and steroids.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Trauma and life stressors<\/strong>\u00a0such as childhood abuse, grief, job loss, or financial strain.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personality traits<\/strong>\u2014perfectionism, low self-esteem, or chronic pessimism can increase vulnerability.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Medication side effects<\/strong>\u2014even common prescriptions like Accutane (used for acne) can trigger depressive symptoms in some people.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Recognizing the Signs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Depression can look different from person to person, but common symptoms include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Persistent sadness or emptiness<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue or low energy<\/li>\n<li>Feelings of hopelessness, guilt, or worthlessness<\/li>\n<li>Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed<\/li>\n<li>Appetite changes or weight fluctuations<\/li>\n<li>Sleep disturbances\u2014too much or too little<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty concentrating or making decisions<\/li>\n<li>Thoughts of death or suicide<\/li>\n<li>Irritability or agitation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These aren\u2019t signs of weak faith. They are signs that someone is suffering and needs support\u2014not silence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Church Should Be a Safe Place<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As the body of Christ, we are called to carry one another\u2019s burdens. But for too long, depression has been a taboo topic in many congregations\u2014ignored, minimized, or spiritualized to the point of harm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Let\u2019s break the silence.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Instead of judgment, let\u2019s offer compassion. Instead of telling someone to \u201cjust pray more,\u201d let\u2019s pray\u00a0<em>with<\/em>\u00a0them\u2014and help them connect with the resources they need, whether that\u2019s a doctor, therapist, support group, or medication.<\/p>\n<p>Mental health and faith are not at odds. In fact, Scripture gives us plenty of examples of people crying out in anguish\u2014and finding hope in God.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWhy, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.\u201d<\/em><br \/>\n\u2014Psalm 42:11<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Final Word<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re struggling, you\u2019re not alone\u2014and you don\u2019t have to stay silent. Reach out to a trusted friend, a physician, or a mental health professional. Healing is possible. Hope is real.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s commit as a church to create space for honest conversations about mental health. Let\u2019s replace stigma with support, shame with compassion, and silence with prayerful presence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Because no one should suffer in the shadows\u2014especially not in the church.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not long ago, I asked a question on social media: \u201cIs it easy to talk about depression in the church?\u201d The overwhelming response?\u00a0\u201cNo.\u201d In fact, many people said the church was the\u00a0last\u00a0place they felt comfortable discussing something that affects 1 in 10 people in the U.S. That\u2019s a sobering reality\u2014and a call to action. We&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4100,925],"tags":[908,8920,514,304,3779,8923],"class_list":["post-25228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-mintle-mentions","tag-causes-of-depression","tag-church-and-depression","tag-depressed","tag-depression","tag-mental-health-and-the-church","tag-signs-of-depression"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>We Need to Talk\u2026 About Depression<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When asked, people said the church was the\u00a0last\u00a0place they felt comfortable discussing depression. 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Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. 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