The document provides information about depression from a Christian perspective. It discusses how the Psalmist might have been feeling depressed due to oppression, a dark night of the soul, or clinical depression. Some symptoms and types of depression are described. Bible passages are presented that reference people who struggled with depression, like Moses, David, Elijah, and Jonah. Ways to get free from depression discussed include finding the right support, exercise, diet, spending time with encouraging people, and giving up intense Bible study for meditating on positive scriptures. The document aims to bring a spiritual understanding and solutions to dealing with depression.

1. Freedom from Depression….
Oasis Church 16.10.16

2. PSALM 77:1-10a (PT)
I poured out my complaint to you, God. I lifted up my voice, shouting
out for your help. When I was in deep distress, in
my day of trouble. I reached out for you with hands stretched to heaven!
Over and over I kept looking for you, God- But your comforting grace was nowhere to be found.
As I thought of you I just moaned. “God where are you?” I’m
overwhelmed with despair as I wait for your help to arrive. I
can’t get a wink of sleep until you come and comfort me. Now
I’m too burdened even to pray!
My mind wanders thinking of days gone by; the years long since passed.

3. PERCEPTIONS OF MY FAMILY AS I LOOK BACK

4. PSALM 40 :1-3 (NASB) I waited patiently for the
LORD;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my
footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the LORD.

5. THREE REASONS WHY THE PSALMIST MIGHT
BE FEELING LOW…..
1. OPPRESSION. 2.DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL. 3. DEPRESSION.
1.OPPRESSION-spiritual. JOHN 10:10 the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, I have come that
you might have life and have it more abundantly.
2. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL
Saint John of the Cross 1542 - 1591
A spiritual experience which God
leads us through.

6. DEPRESSION. Depression is the number one mental health problem in the UK. Clinical or major depression growing
at an incredible rate & is continuing to rise increasingly among younger people. 1 in 4 people in the UK experience a
mental health problem each year with it estimated 350 million people worldwide ... Twenty years ago depression in
children was almost unknown. Now the fastest rate of depression and suicide is among young people.
One in Four (26%) young people in the UK experience suicidal thoughts
ChildLine (UK) has revealed that it held 34,517 counselling sessions in 2013/14 with children who talked about suicide
– a 116 percent increase since 2010/11
Among teenagers, rates of depression and anxiety have increased by 70%
in the past 25 years, particularly since the mid 1980’s.
www.youngminds.org.uk

7. There are many types of depression. 1. ENDOGENOUS-
rooted in body/chemical/allergic reaction. SAD seasonal affective disorder- PMT.
2. EXOGENOUS-circumstances of life are too heavy. Post-partum depression 85% new
mums feel sad after a baby is born -loneliness, suicidal thoughts, fears about hurting the baby. Reactive
depression-comes from loss. Grief is a valid response to unreplaceable loss that was valid in our lives but for
some people grief becomes depression. Psychotic when someone loses
touch with reality.

8. SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS ARE: 1. Depressed mood
2. Loss of pleasure or interest in usual activities . 3.
Disturbance of appetite. 4.
Anxiety.
5. Sleep disturbance 6. Loss of energy.
7. Feelings of guilt and worthlessness. 8.
Difficulties in thinking. 9.
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.

9. NUMBERS 11:10-16 (NKJV) Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the
door of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. So Moses said to
the Lord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You
have laid the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You
should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You
swore to their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying,
‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy
for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favour in Your sight—and do
not let me see my wretchedness!”

10. 2 SAMUEL 12:1-17 (NKJV)
So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also
has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion
to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” Then
Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it
became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all
night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the
ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them.

11. 1 KINGS 19: 1-18 (NKJV) And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets
with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not
make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And when he saw that, he arose and ran for
his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey
into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is
enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” Then
he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down
again. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the
journey is too great for you.” So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and
forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

12. JONAH 4 Jonah finally got to Nineveh, proclaimed his message and people repented and Jonah was angry. Then
the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city.
There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.
And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver
him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared
a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a
vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself,
and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

13. ECCLESIASTES 1 :1-4 (NKJV) The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,”
says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labour in which he toils
under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.

14. DR. TIM CANTOPHER. Depressive Illness- The Curse of the
Strong.
The type of person who suffers from depression are rarely the weak and needy people in
our society, quite the opposite. They have certain
personality characteristics.
1. Moral strength, 2.
Reliability, 3. Diligence,
4. Strong conscience, 5. Strong sense of
responsibility, 6. Tendency to focus on the needs of others
before their own needs, 7.
Sensitivity, 8.Vulnerability to criticism,
9. Self-esteem is dependent on the evaluation of others.

15. Isaac NewtonAbraham Lincoln
Beethoven
Vincent
Van Gogh
Sir. Winston
Churchill
Oliver Cromwell
Tony Hancock

16. The Amish
The kaluli tribe of New Guinea

17. ROMANS 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t copy the behaviour and
customs of the world, but let
God transform you into a new
person by changing the way
you think. Then you will learn
to know God’s will for you,
which is good and pleasing and
perfect.
2 CORINTHIANS 10:5 (NLV)
We break down every thought
and proud thing that puts itself
up against the wisdom of God.
We take hold of every thought
and make it obey Christ.

18. EPHESIANS 4:21 & 24 (NASB) …. if indeed you have
heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth
is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner
of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being
corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and
that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and
put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has
been created in righteousness and holiness of the
truth.

19. PROVERBS 12:25 (PT)
Anxious fear brings depression
but a life giving word of encouragement can do
wonders to restore joy to the heart.

20. OUR TEN GOD GIVEN NEEDS.
1. SECURITY- safe territory &
environment which allows us to develop fully.
2.
ATTENTION (to give and receive it.)
3. A SENSE OF AUTONOMY
& CONTROL over oneself and environment, having freedom to make responsible choices.
4. EMOTIONAL
CONNECTION TO OTHERS.
5. FEELING PART
OF A WIDER COMMUNITY -which gives you a sense of having status, being respected for who you are.
6. INTIMACY/FRIENDSHIP – to
know that at least one other person accepts us totally for who we are ‘warts and all.’

21. 7. SUFFICIENT PRIVACY -opportunity to
reflect and consolidate experiences.
8. SENSE OF STATUS WITHIN SOCIAL GROUPS.
9. SENSE OF COMPETENCE & ACHIEVEMENT – in at least one area of our lives.
10. MEANING & PURPOSE -comes from being stretched (serving others, learning new skills & new knowledge, seeking
profound answers.)

22. THE CYCLE OF DEPRESSION.
We start to worry
We get emotionally aroused .
Thinking becomes catastrophic-all or
nothing.
Patterns of expectation
(emotional arousal) which
is not diffused or completed
during waking hours are
translated into dreams.
Intense prolonged dreaming every
night. Sleep balance is disturbed
Wake up exhausted and lacking in
motivation, giving us more to worry
about.
One or more innate
needs are not met
The cycle continues until the
worrying stops & dreaming is
normalised.

23. 28 Apr 2011 Stephen Adams medical correspondent.
Based on evidence from over 1,200 studies and 400 reviews, they say: "The
overwhelming majority of scientific studies highlight the positive health benefits of
faith, including protection from illness, coping with illness, and faster recovery from
it." The report, Health Benefits of Christian Faith, was put together by Dr Alex Bunn
and Dr David Randall of the Christian Medical Fellowship.
They highlighted one study which showed regular churchgoers had life expectancy
up to 14 years longer than those who did not attend services.
Health benefits include an increased sense of well-being, hope and optimism;
lower rates of depression and suicide; less loneliness and less alcohol and drug
abuse.
The doctors say their conclusions are backed by Andrew Sims, a former president of
the Royal College of Psychiatrists, who lamented the lack of attention that was
given to the health benefits of faith.
"For anything other than religion and spirituality, governments and health
providers would be doing their utmost to promote it," they quoted him as saying.

24. GETTING FREE FROM DEPRESSION.
1.DEPRESSION IS ONLY A SIGN. that something is wrong in our life. If a light flashes on our car dashboard we
don’t ignore it or put a tape over so we won’t notice. We work out why and how to put it right. Depression is just a
warning light that something is wrong.
2. GOD IS WITH US- WHETHER WE FEEL HIM OR NOT.
PSALM 139:8-12 (NLT)
I can never escape from your Spirit, I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I
go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there
your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around
me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

25. 3. FIND THE RIGHT SUPPORT.
Depression is usually about loss & pain and not getting our needs met. Find the right person or persons to support
you and the right GP. (news on 12.9.16. many GPs do not know how to deal with mental illness.)
Find those who understand depression and will not tell you to ‘pull yourself together,’ who will not concentrate on
the past but inspire hope that things will get better & help you to develop self-compassion.
4.MIX WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE who are optimistic and encourage you that things can & will get better (they
do.) Avoid those who are too optimistic & other depressives! You need people around you who have hope for you
when you don’t!

26. PROVERBS 25:20 (PT) When you sing a song of joy to someone suffering in the
deepest grief and heartache, it can be compared to disrobing in the middle of a
blizzard or rubbing salt into a wound.

27. 5. EXERCISE- minimum- at least 2 hours week aerobic exercise releases feel good hormones.
ENDORPHINS These chemicals are released by your pituitary gland, which is located in the base of your brain.
Endorphins make you feel exhilarated and happy and block any feelings of pain, so you can power through any
discomfort caused by exercising.
DOPAMINE is a pleasure chemical. Studies have found that a brain with a dopamine receptor deficiency is more prone
to weight gain. This is even more reason to work out regularly to keep those dopamine levels up in order to keep
overeating and weight gain at bay.
SEROTONIN A chemical responsible
for happiness, restful sleep, and a healthy appetite, serotonin levels will increase if you exercise regularly. Serotonin
works with endorphins to make exercise a pleasurable activity. In addition, more serotonin means more energy and
clearer thinking.

28. 6. EAT HEALTHILY and increase your B vitamins. Your body is a temple of The Holy Spirit-
(1 CORINTHIANS 6:19.)
7. DO NOT STAY IN
BED! Even if you feel exhausted in the morning get up and go for a walk, get the feel good hormones
working.
8. EXPLORE THE ANXIETY. Our natural desire is to get rid of the feelings & consequences, cover
pain with drugs and run away. Our culture is pain avoidant. However, facing our pain & embracing it
with compassion, without criticism or judgment and not running away is the start to healing (same with
fear!). Ask your depression to teach you what is wrong. It could be the start of an interesting journey!

29. 9. THERE ARE TREASURES TO BE GAINED.
ISAIAH 45:3 (NLT)
And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that
I am the Lord the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.
10. BE KIND TO YOURSELF! You may not feel like doing anything & not have enough energy or
concentration to read or pray- find something creative that you can do when you feel like it- puzzles,
colouring, bake a cake, stroke a cat or dog. You need people but-go to groups where they understand
and allow you just to be.

30. 11. GIVE UP BIBLE STUDY & MEDITATE. Don’t try to read or study your Bible. Choose one positive scripture and
meditate upon it (The Lord is my shepherd, The Lord is my light and my salvation.)
PSALM 1:1-4 (NKJV) Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of
sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day
and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also
shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper.
JOSHUA 1:8
(NKJV) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you
may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success.
Scientific studies of the brain have shown that meditation improves symptoms by 10-20% That is secular meditation -
what can meditating on the word of God do?

31. AND FINALLY………
12. DO RELAXED WORSHIP. If able & well enough to come to church just sit and let the worship
take you with it- just let the worship waft over you.
At home put on some very gentle worship music and lie or sit down and rest-soaking prayer. Don’t
work at it!

32. Our bodies are designed for life and to heal…...

33. PSALM 40 :1-3 (NASB) I waited patiently for the
LORD;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my
footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the LORD.