Depression and anxiety are not a sign that your faith is weak or that you've failed as a Christian. By all means, pray about it too. But there is no shame in getting the help you need.
Shattering Misconceptions series - week 3
Click here to learn more about this series.
There is a tendency in certain Christian circles to believe that depression or anxiety indicate that a person's faith is weak—they must need to pray more, confess their sin, or examine their hearts. Those things, of course, are good things to do—but sometimes life is just ridiculously hard. Even if we've prayed faithfully, we might not know the answer to our problems or be able to fix them. Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes our body chemistry is off. Sometimes we’ve experienced trauma. Sometimes we need to learn to respond or change our circumstances or act in healthy ways.
Since I believe prayer is the way we build and maintain a relationship with God, I highly recommend praying no matter what the circumstances. But don't ignore medicines or professional help or lifestyle changes or the other tools that can help you transform your life and teach you to cope. God can use those things, too, to answer your prayers.
It's not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength to ask for help. Please ask for what you need and be willing to accept help that is offered. You matter, and you shouldn’t have to suffer alone.
I attended a church that had an adverse reaction to seeking help for mental health issues. They would just "encourage" you to read your Bible more and memorize more scripture. An atheist friend of mine confronted me as to why I wouldn't seek medical help. When telling her the church's attitude, she asked if I had diabetes would the church NOT want me to seek medical help? The answer was: of course they would! So why, she asked, is your mental health, not important enough to see a doctor? I went and got the help I needed. A couple of years later, I was at a women's conference and the speaker talked about mental health. She said, "When you have a physical problem, don't you seek a physical solution? Your brain is part of your physical body, created by the Lord! Don't ignore it because the church has an attitude against seeking medical advice for mental health issues. It's time for the stigma to stop!" I had already sought help by that time, but hearing her say those words, "set me free" from the condemnation imposed on me by others. She also pointed out the many, many scriptures where King David, Jonah, Elijah and others were depressed. I believe the Lord included those instances in scriptures to let us know we are not alone, and even people that the Lord used mightily, could have times of mental anguish. Thank you for addressing this most important subject in your writings.
As someone who has been on antidepressants since 2002 and anti-anxiety medication since 2020, thank you for this post. When I was diagnosed with chronic depression, I was probably at the most evangelical I had ever been. I was singing in the praise and worship band at church, spending most of my free time at church. I was deeply committed and hadn't even begun to deconstruct my faith yet.
Looking back at my college years, I realize now that during my sophomore year, when I was living in a house sponsored by the campus church, attending Bible study a couple of times a week, and surrounded by fellow Christians...I spent the entire summer and fall in a deep, dark, clinical depression. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back now it's crystal clear.
So anyone who tells me that depression and anxiety mean your faith is too weak? Sorry, they're wrong. I know they're wrong. If depression could strike me when I was at my strongest point in my faith, when I was so completely assured that the Bible was 100% literal and written by God? That proves it isn't a matter of faith.
If someone came at me now with that, I would say, "Okay, then take off your glasses and pray that God will heal your sight. Quit taking your insulin and pray that God will heal your diabetes. Oh, you can't? That's exactly why no one can pray depression or anxiety (or being gay) away."
Sorry, obviously this is an issue I get very salty about! But I appreciate your post.