MENTAL HEALTH DAY
October 10

Today the world commemorates mental health and we will spend a few minutes considering depression. Depression is a common mental health condition. It leads to other conditions like suicide and eating disorders. Many people face moments of extreme discouragement at some time in their lives, for various reasons. It is interesting to note that a number of Bible characters displayed symptoms that probably would meet today’s diagnostic criteria for depression. Take the case of King David. In many psalms he describes having a downcast spirit (see for example Psalm 31:10, Psalm 42, and Psalm 102).

A challenge for David for much of his life was being hunted by King Saul, and as you can imagine, this sometimes drove down David’s spirit. The beautiful thing about David, though, is that in the same psalms in which he expresses discouragement, it is clear that he finds solace in God. For example, in Psalm 102, while the first eleven verses express depressed feelings, from verse 12 we begin to see evidence of his hope in the Lord.

Symptoms of depression include a deep sense of sadness, lack of motivation to do anything, change of appetite (loss or gain), sleep disturbances, feelings of low self-esteem, poor memory or reasoning, and thoughts of death or suicide. If you struggle with any of these symptoms, seek medical attention from trained professionals. Depression and anxiety over unknown things can drive one to have thoughts of hopelessness and even contemplate suicide. Before you get to that dark place, reflect on the fact that there is no other you and there isn’t going to be another. You are one of a kind. In God’s eyes, you are irreplaceable—and who is greater than God? 



“And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27).