Feeling Overwhelmed: Depression & Anxiety, Is There Help?

Understanding Mental Health with the Bible as our Worldview

What is it?

Where does it come from?

Why is it so prevalent?

What can we do about it?

Depression

Depression is related to our past sufferings and hurt

Everyone feels sad sometimes. Maybe you didn’t do well on a test at school, got into a fight with a friend, or haven’t been getting along with someone in your family. It’s normal to feel down when your day—or the whole week—just hasn’t gone your way. Other times, you feel sad for no reason.

Like sadness, depression is common and a normal part of life for a lot of people. When you’re experiencing depression, feelings like sadness and anger don’t go away or the things that are causing them—such as the end of a long-term relationship, your parents’ divorce, or a stressful life at home—aren’t easy to move through on your own. You may not feel terrible all the time, but the feelings are more persistent when you’re depressed, like a dark cloud following you around or a fog you can’t seem to clear.

The biggest thing that differentiates depression from sadness is how long it lasts and how much it affects your life.

What Causes Depression?

The tendency toward depression or even addictions is not a sin; giving in to them, however, is a sin.

The alcoholic will probably get drunk when he drinks, so the Christian who is an alcoholic and wants to stay in God’s will must make sure he never takes another drink. Likewise, the person who has a tendency toward depression isn’t at fault if his or her emotions begin a downward spiral. However, how he/she responds to that downward spiral will determine if there is sin.

The serotonin theory (Chemical Imbalance) of depression has been one of the most influential and extensively researched biological theories of the origins of depression. The most recent and informed studies show that this view is not supported by scientific evidence. It also calls into question the basis for the use of antidepressants.

Although viewing depression as a biological disorder may seem like it would reduce stigma, in fact, research has shown the opposite, and also that people who believe their own depression is due to a chemical imbalance are more pessimistic about their chances of recovery.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a messenger chemical that carries signals between nerve cells in the brain). It's thought to have a good influence on mood, emotion and sleep.

After carrying a message, serotonin is usually reabsorbed by the nerve cells (known as "reuptake"). SSRIs work by blocking ("inhibiting") reuptake, meaning more serotonin is available to pass further messages between nearby nerve cells.

It would be too simplistic to say that depression and related mental health conditions are caused by low serotonin levels, but a rise in serotonin levels can improve symptoms and make people more responsive to other types of treatment, such as CBT.

50% of those who take SSRIs say there is no change at all…others say they feel somewhat better, but the side effects are not worth it.

Depression Defined

“A state of despondency that serves as a biosocial and spiritual marker for our human weakness, brokenness, and our spiritual struggle for meaning and wholeness. Further, it is a call to grow, to be restored, and to be made holy in the image of God in Christ.”

~Dr. Peter J. Bellini

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Anxiety

Depression and anxiety are usually linked together (In the counseling world, (we call them Comorbidities) which simply means where you find one, you usually find the other.

Isn’t it interesting that what should assist us in our depressed mood is looking for a  brighter future, one with hope, but instead of being helped by the thought of our future, our thoughts of the future put us in another type of prison?  We are now in bondage by our thoughts of our future.

Isaiah 40:30-31

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait (put their hope in) upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Hebrew word “Wait” has the idea the I am bound together with God….faith)

Similarities of Depression and Anxiety

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

A key similarity between depression and anxiety is that they can both be perpetuated by thought patterns. Now, the types of thought patterns differ among individuals with depression vs. those with anxiety, but they also form a vicious cycle.

Consider this: individuals with depression generally feel hopeless in their situation, while those with anxiety feel helpless about their situation. A person who feels hopeless can easily begin to feel helpless, while a person who feels helpless can slide into feeling hopeless. Because of this, some people with depression will develop anxiety and vice versa.

It is also important to note that one of the main symptoms of anxiety and depression are also closely related. One of the main symptoms of anxiety is avoidance. Specifically, the object or situation that causes anxiety is likely to be avoided at all costs. Similarly, one of the main symptoms of depression is withdrawal. With depression, if something seems too painful or too difficult, the reaction is to stop trying. While avoidance and withdrawal are not entirely synonymous, they both come back to the same idea of “I can’t.”

What is anxiety?

Fear is the response to a perceived threat, while anxiety involves worry about a threat that has not yet, or may never, happen.

For example, if we’re in a dark parking garage late in the evening, it’s a good thing if we have a little anxiety and/or fear. Fear encourages us to be on the lookout and remain aware. It often keeps us safe and in tune with our surroundings.

Fear

Fear is not something that happens only in our minds, it is a process that occurs in our bodies. In order to survive, God created our bodies to have a “fight, flight, or freeze” response to stress, leading us to either fight or flee from frightening encounters.

In fight or flight mode, our heart rate increases, we breathe faster, and our senses become heightened. Blood flows away from our heart and digestive system and into our limbs, allowing us to react to the danger at hand.

Freeze mode has a different mechanism. Our heart rate decreases instead of increases, and we become immobile. Freeze mode can have a protective function. In the natural world, it is why animals play dead when under threat. In humans, however, freezing can prevent us from defending ourselves or articulating our needs.

When our senses register a fearful or stressful situation, the amygdala, an almond-shaped structure in the center of the brain, engages the sympathetic nervous system, which cues the endocrine system to release stress hormones.

At the same time thatthe amygdala fires up, the cerebral cortex—the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and judgment—shuts down. This can make it challenging for us to make good decisions when we’re faced with fearful or stressful situations.

Anxiety

When we experience anxiety, our sympathetic nervous system responds in a similar way as it does to fear. However, with anxiety, it is engaged at a lower, but more constant, level.

Instead of preparing for an immediate threat, we are on edge for prolonged periods of time. Our muscles become tense. We become cautious, vigilant for possible threats, and we may avoid situations in an attempt tododge danger.

Just as the right amount of fear can be healthy, a certain degree of anxiety can help us sense danger and conquer challenges. However, when we feel too much anxiety, we spend an excessive amount of time feeling distressed. Racing thoughts prevent us from concentrating and worries about the future and the past prevent us from living in the moment.

Our anxiety can be so distressing that we might misread others’ facial expressions or misinterpret social cues. We may be so consumed by potential danger that it can feel unsafe to leave our homes.

“An abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it.”

What Causes Anxiety?

Nature (born with a tendency to a particular struggle?)

Nurture

Pneumature

As mentioned previously, the person who has a tendency toward anxiety isn’t at fault if his or her emotions begin a downward spiral. However, how he/she responds to that downward spiral will determine if there is sin.

A 2020 report that examined loneliness in the workplace found that 79% of Gen Zers and 71% of Millennials considered themselves lonely, compared to 50% of Baby Boomers. And research published in 2021 in the Journal of Adolescence found that loneliness among teenagers rose between 2012 and 2018.

Dependence on technology may also contribute to loneliness among teens and young adults. People who grew up swiping screens may interact with devices more often than they do with people.

Younger people are more comfortable not having physical interactions and instead expressing things through a screen.  This is contributing to amplified loneliness. With face-to-face interactions, you get a better sense of who people are through their movements and their tone of voice and touch—which are part of normal human interaction and connection.

Lonely people may seek engagement on social media, but that may backfire.

Social media is supposed to satisfy a craving to feel connected, but seeing people having fun without you may escalate feelings of loneliness that are already present.

Loneliness has clearly been linked to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, heart disease and a shortened lifespan.

What Can We Do About It?

antidepressant dispensing rate among US adolescents and young adults increased by 66.3% between January 2016 and December 2022. This rate was increasing before the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 but increased 63.5% faster after the outbreak. Antidepressants are the most prescribed medication in the US.

The review did find a strong link between adverse and traumatic life events and the onset of depression, which points to the possibility that environmental stress factors in the emergence of the disorder more heavily than do internal brain processes. Moncrieff notes: “One interesting aspect in the studies we examined was how strong an effect adverse life events played in depression, suggesting low mood is a response to people's lives and cannot be boiled down to a simple chemical equation."

The upshot of all this for laypersons is twofold. First, you should realize that while antidepressants may work for you, they do not work for everybody, and we do not know how they work. Anyone who tells you differently is lying—to you or to themselves (or both).

Second, if you hear a medical professional using the term “chemical imbalance” to explain depression, you are hearing a fictional narrative (or a sales pitch), not scientific fact. Look for better-quality care.

Our Natural Chemicals and How to Access Them

Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: But a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

'SURVIVAL BRAIN' - Prioritises your survival functions, such as your heart beats faster so that you can breathe in more oxygen, which is important if you need to fight or run away. - More energy makes its way to your limbs so you can run faster and be stronger.

'EMOTIONAL BRAIN' - Your emotions become extremely intense and act as a warning sign to help us quickly respond to danger and threats.

'THINKING BRAIN' - Temporarily goes ‘offline’ – so that the energy your brain would normally use is now prioritized to other body systems to help keep you safe.

Inside the Amygdala

W h e n  w e  f e e l  a  s e n s e  o f  p o t e n t i a l  d a n g e r  a n d  f e a r ,  o u r  b o d y  i n s t i n c t i v e l y  g o e s  i n t o  p r o t e c t i v e  m o d e  t o  k e e p   u s  s a f e ,  a n d  t h i s  f e a r  r e s p o n s e  s t a r t s  i n  t h e p a r t  o f  t h e  b r a i n  c a l l e d  t h e  a m y g d a l a .  T h e  a m y g d a l a  a c t i v a t e s  t h e  f i g h t  o r  f l i g h t  r e s p o n s e ,  a s s e s s e s  t h e  e m o t i o n a l  s i g n i f i c a n c e  o f  t h i n g s  t h a t  h a p p e n  i n  o u r  e n v i r o n m e n t ,  a n d  d e c i d e s  w h e t h e r  o r  n o t  s o m e t h i n g  i s  a  t h r e a t  t o  y o u .  S o  l e t ‘ s  s a y  t h a t  y o u r  a m y g d a l a  d e c i d e s  t h a t  t h e  s p i d e r  c r e e p i n g  t o w a r d s  y o u  i s  d a n g e r o u s  t o  y o u ;  i t  w i l l  i n i t i a t e  y o u r  b o d y ‘ s  f i g h t  o r  f l i g h t  r e s p o n s e  a s  a  w a y  o f  h e l p i n g  y o u  r e s p o n d  t o  t h a t  t h r e a t .

The amygdala automatically sends a signal to another part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus activiates the pitiuitary gland which then activates the adrenal gland. And finally the adrenal gland secretes the hormones cortisol, noradrenaline, and adrenaline, which triggers fear in the fight or flight response.

These chemicals prepare our bodies for physical action, such as muscels becoming tenser, the heart pounding faster, pupils become more dialated. We get a rush of energy, enabling us to respond quickly to dangerous situations.

However when the response continues to happen without real risk or dangers, it creates anxiety.

1.Is it possible to be a follower of Jesus Christ and still battle depression and anxiety? Yes, just ask Job, David, Elijah, Jonah…(Fix your eyes on Jesus, dig into the Bible and begin to fight.

2.Prov 4:23 Keep thy heart…What do you do when your heart clogs up with sadness depression, anxiety, or heartbreak? (Psalm 42…do not destroy, avoid, ignore, pretend, or overemphasize your emotions. Learn how to praise God despite of them.)

3.It is estimated that we have anywhere between 50,000 to 80,000 thoughts each day! Thoughts have power to anxiety, stress, worry, sadness, and fear into our lives. But they also have the power to produce peace, joy, gratitude, love, and freedom in our lives. (1Peter 5:7 call all your “anxiety”) Focus on winning the battle of your mind today not tomorrow. (Philippians 4:6-8; 2 Cor 10:5)

4.Isolation is one of the first signs of depression and avoidance is one of the first signs of anxiety! (Prov 17:17; Gal 6:2; Prov 27:17)

5.Science also stated in the Bible, has proven that serving others greatly helps our mental and emotional wellbeing. (Gal 5:13; 1 Pt 4:10; Philippians 2:3-4)

6.God is fighting for you, but you also must fight for yourself! Fight to wake up, to get out of bed, to show up to school or work, to be present with your family and friends, most importantly fight to focus on your relationship with Christ. (Jn 4:13-14, Ps 16:11, Rom 8:11)

7.You are not defined by some man-made diagnosis, or the strongest weapon being used against you. You are defined by your Heavenly Father and He has declared your worth. Fight to choose to live! (Deut 30:19-20, John 10:10)

Suicide is the second leading cause of death of young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

22% of high school students reported having seriously considered suicide in the past year. •

10% of high school students attempted suicide in the past year.

•5,000 young people complete suicide in the U.S. each year.

•Each day, there are approximately 12 youth suicides.