Overview for Church Youth Leads in issues regarding understanding depression and anxiety, as well as ministering to those with these Issues.

1. Click to add text
Depression and
Anxiety
Bukal Life Care
2019

2. Anxiety
Alex Bentley (and colleagues) did a study of “feeling”
words from written materials from the 1900 to 2008.
Such words include: anger, love, fear, disgust,
sadness, and more.
Most feeling words decreased in usage over the 108
years.
However, there was one word that increased during
that period....

3. FEAR
The word FEAR has been used more and
more with a major upsurge in the 1980s.
And has continued steadily up to 2008 (and
probably through to today).

4. What is the most high-lighted verse in
the Bible? (based on Kindle Reader)
"Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And
the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

5. We live in the age of FUD.
F------ Fear
U------ Uncertainty
D------ Doubt

6. What are Some Reasons Why
Fear/Anxiety is Greater Today Than in
the Past?
• Information Overload. (What is
Important? What is True?)
• Rapid Change. (What is reliable?)
• Break down of Faith (What is
Real? What has Meaning?)
• Family Breakdown (Who can I
trust?)

7. … and “Automatic Thoughts
Automatic Thoughts are counterproductive
things that pop into our heads that build
anxiety, hamper a sense of well-being, and
tear down healthy relationships.
These thoughts come without our seeking them
because of our past traumas.
They guide our feelings, which in turn guides our
actions.

8. Thought Explanation Language Creates
Filtering Keep the bad. Throw out the
good.
Defeatism,
Anxiety,
Depression,
Toxic Work
Environment
Magnifying Exagerrate problems. Little
problems are big problems.
Terrible,
Awful,
Ruined,
Can't
Overgeneralizatio
n
Coming up with negative
conclusions from limited
evidence.
Always,
Never
Catastrophizing Anticipating that the worst
result is the most likely
result. Or, the likely results
are more unmaneagable
than they are

9. Thought Explanation Language Creates
Shoulds “Ironclad” rules that people
should/must live by.
Should,
Must, Can't
Perfectionism,
Judgmentalism,
Depression,
Conflict, and
Toxic Work
Environment.
Polarized
Thinking
“Black or White Thinking.”
Anything less than perfect is a
failure
Must, Can't

10. Thought Explanation Language Creates
Mind Reading We “know” what other people
think and feel (esp. about
ourselves)
She thinks,
He feels,
They
believe
Anxiety,
Depression,
Conflict, and
Toxic Work
Environmnet
Personalization People's behavior and talk is
all about you.

11. Thought Balance
Filtering Shift Focus
Magnifying “I Can,” Emphasize positives
Overgeneralization Quantify the problem, Test countering evidence
Catastrophizing Quantify
Shoulds Make rules more flexible, Identify rules as more
personal.
Polarized Thinking Delay Judgment, “Percentage Thinking”
Mind Reading Alternative interpretations, Verify
Personalization Verify, Comparisons are flawed

12. Symptoms
Physiological – sweating, rapid heartbeat, trembling, bodily
tension
Emotionally – uneasy, sick to stomach, headache
Cognitively – worry, apprehension, lack of focus and
concentration
Behaviorally – fight, flight, freezing, care-taking. Blame,
Withdrawal, Control, Chaotic
Relationally – moving away, against, towards.

13. What to Do?
• 1st priority: Be a non-anxious presence
• Anxiety is a signal. Follow the worry and chase the
pain.
• Identify the triggers.
• Help person grow in self-awareness of physiological
anxiety as well as feelings in the moment.
• Identify distorted thoughts.
• Stop illegal drugs, and stop or get control of caffeine
and other legal stimulants.

14. Depression
Caution. When people use the term “depression,”
some are referring to a mood. Others, however, are
using the term to describe a formal psychological
diagnosis (“Clinical depression”).
We will use the term “depression” here, but we are
using it in a somewhat loose way. In church, it may
be better to speak of DESPAIR, HOPELESSNESS,
SADNESS, DYSPHORIA, and such.
Statistics here, however, are based on psychological
depression diagnoses. (Mostly US stats)

15. Approximately 15.7% of people
reported being told by a health care
provider that they had depression at
some point in their lifetime.

16. Men Versus Women
Females were more likely to be diagnosed with
depression (20.2% vs. 8.2%) than were males.
Men often experience depression differently than
women.
While women with depression are more likely to have
feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and excessive
guilt, men are more likely to be very tired, irritable,
lose interest in once-pleasurable activities, and have
difficulty sleeping.

17. Teens and Children
Depressive disorders are appearing earlier in life with
the average age of onset 50 years ago being 29
whereas recent statistics indicate it at just 14.5yrs in
today's society. (Western culture)
A child with depression may pretend to be sick, refuse to go to school,
cling to a parent, or worry that a parent may die.
Older children may sulk, get into trouble at school, be negative and
irritable, and feel misunderstood.
Because these signs may be viewed as normal mood swings typical
of children as they move through developmental stages, it may be
difficult to accurately diagnose a young person with depression.
*Childhood depression often persists, recurs, and continues into
adulthood, especially if left untreated.

22. Active Listening
• Compassionate
• Patient
• Trying to understand

23. Is There a Spiritual Side to This?
Depression is not from bad spirituality, but a symptom
of depression is to have a loss of hope (“despair”).
“Truth that we know from our faith and relationship
with God is lost or distorted by disorientation of pain
or unfulfilled desires.”
-Tony Bordenkircher
Those who are depressed tend to feel stuck in one
situation, or trapped in a cycle. As such, they have often
lost hope and trust that God can (or will) improve things.

24. What Can Churches Do?
Let's start with Anxiety and Fear.
WE CANNOT ERADICATE THE MODERN
CAUSES OF ANXIETY
• We cannot stop information overload.
• We cannot stop rapid change.
• We do not have control of society in their loss of
faith/meaning, and breakdown of the family.

25. However, the church can help...
• The church is a place (the primary place) that can
provide meaning and social stability.
• The church can be the reliable family and a safe
place for families--- a safety net of social support.
• The church can help people process the information
of complex society and help them to recognize what
is true and what is important.
• The church can be supportive, in part, by
recognizing the need for specialists.
• It can be a place where messages of hope and
peace are shared, without ignoring real concerns of
people.

26. Or the Church can Make things
Worse...
• The church can also blame those with struggling
with anxiety and depression--- looking at these
as sins.
• The church can also pressure members to hide
their areas of struggle to maintain a false image
of joyous victory.
• The church can choose to be a dangerous place
for people with problems.
• The church can be a place where Fear and Anger
are fed in preaching and teaching.
• Members are trained to listen empathetically,
non-judgmentally, and supportively.

27. What About Medications?
• There are medications that can help those with
problems with forms of anxiety or depression if
properly diagnosed, prescribed, and overseen by
a mental health professional.
• A person must be properly evaluated by a
specialist with proper follow-up and evaluations.
• Medications should not be used alone... but with
talk therapy and a positive support network.
• Medications are not a long-term solution.
• Improper use of medications can make things
FAR WORSE.

28. References
• Robert Dykstra. “Finding Ourselves Lost:
Ministry in the Age of Overwhelm.” Book.
2018.
• The Depression Project
• Tony Bordenkircher. “Understanding and
Dealing with Depression & Anxiety.”
Presentation. Chiang Mai, Thailand. 2012.
• McKay, Davis, and Fanning.
“Thoughts and Feelings” (2007)