The Suppression of Depression: Addressing the Stigma of Depression Among Christians

By Marion Wright Jr MD

Some Christians experience a degree of internal conflict when it comes to seeking help for medical issues. On one hand, they believe in God for their healing. On the other, they acknowledge that they are dealing with symptoms and conditions that could be treated by medical professionals. The challenge then becomes reconciling their faith with their efforts to be well and healthy. From my observations, there have been great strides in Christian thinking regarding seeking help for physical health problems. However, this does not seem to be the case when it comes to mental health issues including depression. From my professional experiences as a psychiatrist and in my personal walk as a Christian, I have observed what appears to be a stigma when it comes to depression. Some Christians may believe that they should never be depressed, and if they are, it indicates some failure of their faith or weakness thereof. Some feel embarrassed about having depression and, therefore, are reluctant to seek help for it, if they do at all. They may feel that the very act of seeking professional help also indicates weakness in their faith. Therefore, they resolve to deal with depression strictly by spiritual means e.g. prayer and Bible reading. In this book, I address this stigma that exists among Christians when it comes to depression. My intention is to dispel myths about depression and to get people to understand that it is a condition to which we are all vulnerable. I also hope to increase people's understanding of God's will that we have healthy minds as well as healthy bodies. Depression need not be a condition that people deal with in silence given that there is help available for it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645694854

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The Suppression of Depression

Addressing the Stigma of Depression Among Christians

Marion Wright, Jr., MD

Copyright © 2019 by Marion Wright Jr, MD

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

This book is dedicated to my loving wife LaNika; my dear children Mario and Monique; my father Marion Wright, Sr.; my siblings Tuania, Maurice, and Adrian; and to the loving memory of my mother Leatha Wright and my sister Felicia.

Introduction

In my experiences as a psychiatrist, I have evaluated and treated many patients with depressive disorders. By far, the most interesting of these—and sometimes the most challenging—were those who reported being Christians. After seeing a fair number of such patients, I began noticing similarities among them in regards to their approach to psychiatric treatment. Many of them were extremely reluctant to seek help, and when they would come for an initial evaluation, it would often be upon the request of a family member or close friend. It was not uncommon for them to refuse to take medications despite admitting that their symptoms were very debilitating. Some of them would agree to talk therapy or counseling but would eventually drop out of treatment altogether because they wanted to handle things on their own.

Feelings of guilt and embarrassment were common. Many felt guilty as if having depression was due to some fault or personal flaw. Others felt ashamed and did not want fellow church members or friends to know they were seeing a mental health professional. Some would go so far as to park their vehicles in inconspicuous areas to avoid being seen entering or leaving my office building. Observing all of these behaviors over an extended period of time made me ponder what it was about patients of faith that caused them to think, feel, and behave in such ways.

When evaluating patients for the first time, I often ask about their religious or spiritual beliefs. Doing so gives me an idea of what they value, what support networks they may have, and what methods of coping, e.g. prayer and meditation, they may utilize. I typically ask about this in the last fifteen minutes of the session, but in my experience, Christian patients tend to make their beliefs known rather early on.

In many cases, this would be in the context of them expressing their reluctance to seek help or their bewilderment regarding their condition. For example, a common statement would be: I’m not supposed to be depressed because I attend church, read the Bible, and pray regularly.

Others report being told by fellow churchgoers and even church leaders that they needed to fast and pray more in order for their depression to be healed. After hearing a number of similar stories, it appeared to me that these patients conceptualized their mental condition as the result of a flaw or weakness in their faith. Excessive guilt can be a symptom of depression, and some patients reported feeling like they were being punished by God.

Upon questioning some, I soon realized that their ideas about their illness were based largely on things they were taught by trusted religious leaders e.g. pastors and associate ministers. Also, they seemed to fear severe criticism from others of like faith if their symptoms were revealed in any way. All of this made me aware of the serious stigma that exists among Christians toward those with depression.

In this book, I intend to help educate the reader about the reality of depression as a legitimate, identifiable, and treatable condition. In doing so, I will draw from my knowledge and experience as a psychiatrist. I also intend to share my beliefs about illness in general based on the Bible, God’s inspired Word. Where appropriate and relevant, I will utilize medical and psychiatric terminology but in ways I hope will be understandable to the general public.

Furthermore, I will refer to biblical passages that I believe support my statements about illness and healing. My goal is not to turn preachers into mental health professionals but certainly to challenge some of those in ministry and others of Christian faith to rethink their views on depression and, perhaps, mental illness altogether.

Furthermore, I believe firmly that these two professions should not be viewed as diametrically opposed to one another but rather as complementary. After all, there are many people of faith worldwide that are suffering from depression. They need to know that there are many sources of help available, and they need to feel that their condition is