Thanks Bonnie, I appreciate your compassion.

Charles,

I also will be lifting you up in prayer.  I know this is a tough time, but God will see you through.

God Bless.

I found something interesting but also disturbing, something called the "Young Mania Rating Scale".

http://www.measurecme.org/resources/MEASURE_YMRS.pdf

I went through it myself and I found that I would measure in excess of 25 if I was honest, normal would be 2. I also noticed hyper-religiosity is listed on this scale as a condition. I am just imagining my first conversation with my therapist, and if she uses something like this I must be a complete headcase to her. Plus my faith in Christ would be interpreted as just a symptom of my illness.

I don't know what to think of this.

 

I too have had long fights with depression. I don't have too much of an opinion about anti-depressants, as I was on those until five years ago and many things were exposed at that time, but the Word of God was the source of healing for absolutely all things "psychological" (I was also studying psychology at the time). I know that the God who loves me, although the people and things through which he loves me change all the time throughout. But it's still the same, unchanging God who was there before all the people and things he used to express it.

I guess what I learn is that that faith is key, because Christian teachers proved to be the source of more hindering lies (the Christian counselors I know about today and their approaches are so incredibly destructive) than anyone else. The biggest thing that I understand is that every time an offensive thing is removed, like a habit, a good thing MUST be put in its place in some form. The Word is clearly the source of that for me, and I learn that the hard times are tests to make sure that my dependency on the Lord, who ministers through created things that come and go, is certain.

The body is with you, Mr. Sloan. 

And pray to God like this    Give me passion and desire for you and your word    Make me jealous for your presence   make me so hungry for a encounter a visitation of your glory that I would know you more than before

Father let your words burn again and release the winds of heaven to blow across my heart


You are asking God to restore, what it was like in the former years,  like Job did  

and God did and he will to you

You know something.... God loves your presence more than you love his     That's pretty powerful,someting to ponder

so really....no weapon formed against you shall prosper....can be seen,  as us and God, or our relationship that we have with each other.

I think God will display his power towards you and  restore you to him.So you and he can be one

and really,    he has never left you     nothing can separate us from the love of God

because he is in us  

and by the way    you don't loose anything in the spirit, you just take back what has been given   just step back into it   Like the prodigal Son   The signet ring and cloak   put your crowns back on

Your brother in Christ




just some thoughts

Bless you Charles    that negates the curse

Charles,
I am so sorry to read about what you are going through. I am also one of those who has had long struggles with depression. Thankfully I am much better now, but I did have a five year period earlier this decade when I took antidepressants. The medications were critically important for me. I resisted taking them initially, because I thought I could be strong -- and that was a mistake. I stared too long into the abyss and eventually had difficulty working and concentrating, and became suicidal.

Medications helped me think and gave me the energy and stability to actively pursue healing, which I would not have been able to do otherwise. A Christian counselor was very helpful to me, as was a technique called cognitive behavioral therapy, which is actually quite Biblical. Contemplative prayer and meditation were also very helpful avenues of God's healing. Remember, all healing is God's healing. Everyone who gets well does so because God healed them. What route God chooses to heal through is up to God, and of no significance otherwise. Use whatever God has provided to heal you.

If I may, let me share with you what I tell my patients in this situation. Depression is one of those illnesses that impacts your body, mind, and spirit. A holistic approach is very reasonable. Some illnesses are almost purely physical. If you cut your arm, for example, I just need to sew it up. There are usually minimal psychological or spiritual aspects to this illness/injury. Other illnesses/debilities may be primarily psychological or primarily spiritual, and need therapeutic approaches that are primarily psychological or spiritual.

Depression, however, is one of those problems that often has significant physical, psychological, and spiritual components. The sources of the depression may even extend into each of these realms. So please don't be hesitant to investigate and pursue healing in each of these areas. Medications, proper diet, and proper exercise can tremendously help the physical and neurobiological aspects of depression, and give you the energy and focus to pursue the other areas. Psychological insight may be helpful to you in uncovering old wounds that have not healed, and identifying lies that you may have believed that are destructive. And, of course, in prayer God may directly heal by pouring out his love into your heart through the Holy Spirit.

My advice always is not to trifle with a serious clinical depression. It is not a case of the blues. People die from this illness. Just as God has made you a being composed of body, mind, and spirit, my advice is to pursue healing of a serious depression physically, psychologically, and spiritually.

May God bless you and heal you.

No V, I haven't heard of that one.

I have been thinking about everything the last few days since my next appointment is Tuesday. And I have been reading information on mania and other bipolar behavior that most I identify with. I have come to a few conclusions, none of which I am really convinced of. I have just been puzzling over these ideas for while as I have been reading through the Gospels. Either I am ill and need to get some kind of treatment. Two, I am using this illness as a cloak for the sin that I have allowed to run rampant in my life. Three, maybe I am possessed by a demon or a spirit of infirmity. I know that last one sounds crazy, but since hyper-religiosity is a symptom of mania maybe all my beliefs are just part of my delusions.

I would ask for your prayers to really sort my way through this.

By the way, bemark; thank you for your thoughts and prayers.