If You're Depressed and Despondent Get Some Help!
 

I think that in the development as a movement the Oneness Pentecostals we should now realize that not everything in life is fixed by praying through or using the normal coping skills that we all must use at intervals in our lives.

We should realize that some people need outside interventions such as medical help, specialized retreats, or even in patient treatment to remedy what could be a life threatening situation.

There is real mental illness and it can remedy a normal person helpless and with a real feeling of hopelessness. Get yourself some help, for God sake if you know someone at that point drag'em to a clinic and have them seen by a competent professional.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Amen thank god someone understands god don't fix all the problems.....lol

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

As long as the mental health professionals can come to the same conclusion.

The answer is not always in their hoopla and is definitely not always found in their mind altering drugs they peddle so often.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

And if you go to the Doctor thank that Doctor don't give God all the glory and leave out the Doctor...

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

I do believe that God can deliver people from depression and other mental illnesses. However, therapists are well trained in what they do for a reason. While people can depend on God to help them stay in a stable place, therapists and the like are invaluable in the help that they can give.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

You seem angry that God is getting credit... even seem to suggest, more than He deserves?

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

No Jeffery some people go to the doctor have surgery and thank god that they made it through and leave the Doctor out of the loop.. I am not angry and yes the doctor is the one that performed the surgery so you better be thanking him/her also along with god

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

The fruit of the Spirit is.................

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

I'm dismayed that pastors now recommend shrinks.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Do you refer to 25mg of joy qid?

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Say truth why are you dismayed at pastors who recommend someone to a "shrink"

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Competent professionals, don't confuse the medium and the source, God is the source for healing, he might just use a Doctor to address a chemcial unbalance in the brain or suggest rest and relaxation to address burnout and fatigue.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Chemical balance, what test do they run to see if you have it?

Fruit of the Spirit is what?

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Serotoin often is the cause for some of this, have you ever felt irritated because you haven't ate or tired etc, chemicals can effect moods and behaviors.

We are material beings and when that material is flawed or sick it will effect or decision making abilities. Any drug user knows this to be true.

Again I am saying competent professional who can do a balanced assessment to see if this is a factor.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

There ain't nuttin' that a 10 minute shockamoo can't fix! Right?

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

KWS, doctors get plenty of praise and recognition. Dr. Brand, a phenom of the 20th Century who founded leper colonies in India, tells that his profession has the highest ego ratio on the planet. They will be okay for someone who was afraid to thank God for taking care of them. I'm sure there were plenty of 'thank you's' to doctors as well. These guys are the heroes in our society.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

you could try this..LOL O just a note don't see this being done nowhere in the bible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4mcJWFoBFY

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

I was just pointing out there is no test to check imbalance.

I think we do the church a great disservice with refering folks to shrinks. Bible has many promises regarding the mind.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

We are talking about biology not thoughts or truth.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Truth whats the church going to do...the church might have been what started the whole mess in the first place..

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

There are plenty of Bible-based professional psychologists that use a Christian worldview with these issues, if that's your concern.

It's medicine though. If we go to the doc for a problem with our stomach, why do we call a time-out when it comes to our mind?

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I honestly can't believe y'all are arguing this point. If you are struggling, GET HELP. I don't care where, who, how, what. GET HELP. I don't care if you pray to a tree trunk, if it keeps you alive to see tomorrow, God can fix tomorrow. But if you don't do something, and you just give up, there's no tomorrow.

I'm saying this both as someone who has been that hopeless, and someone who is still reeling from the loss of a friend who gave up.

How can you place a judgment on help that keeps a person alive?

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I think we do a great disservice when we cause people to feel guilt and condemnation for seeking help for a real physical ailment. Our mind can get sick just as well as our bodies. Often the mental sickness is caused by something wrong in our bodies.

No, anti-depressants are not the cure-all, and are way over-prescribed. But there are REAL things that can go wrong in our bodies, and no one should feel condemned for seeking help in these areas.

We can also have issues that we genuinely need counseling for. Professional counseling at times. I personally went through an extremely difficult time several years ago, where I felt like I was going to go crazy. No one reached out to really help me. If I tried to talk to anyone, the pat answer was just 'you need to forgive'. No, I didn't just need to forgive. I needed a shoulder to cry on, someone to tell me they understood, someone just to listen and care. Someone to help me figure out how to walk the hard path I had to walk. We tell people they need to "pray". Well, apparently God intended for us to do more than just pray, he intended for our fellow man to lend a hand. That's why there's so much in the Bible about loving our neighbor. He doesn't tell us to just tell them to go pray.

Sometimes our churches fall woefully short in this area, and then we quickly point our fingers at our 'weak' brothers and sisters. This saddens me.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Do you mean serotonin? And what is the purpose of ordering a seratonin "test"?

why not just test for this?
5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid

we are seeing an epidemic increase of 350% in 15 years
Psychotropic drug prescriptions
There many new products on the market in the last 10 years. SSRI's are taking off.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Medical help is necessary, because often it's a medical condition.

Are mental illnesses related to spiritual problems? They certainly can be, but let's not distract people from medical help. I don't recommend praying to tree trunks, seems like there is a funny story in Isaiah about that :)

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Psychologists do not do lab work nor prescribe meds.
We are talking Psychiatrists.

Now Psychiatrists are M.Ds and are lesser in recommending behavioral therapies.

http://www.minirthclinic.com/index.html

This guy is rare. he is one of the most brilliant and can sort thru spiritual or medical issues. He has been thru seminary and says we need saints to pray and go to the correct place for help.

There are a lot of Psychologists that claim to be Christian and use the standard Freudian analytical and secular training.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

:D Ok, I don't necessarily recommend praying to tree trunks.:toofunny

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Great post.

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There are several Psychologists within the UPCI itself. You are right about the MD part of this, where a psych is more concerned with behavioral science. Both are very valuable. Humans are complex beings and we've all benefited greatly from psychology over the last 20 years, by understanding symptoms and being able to better cope.

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....

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Irrelgious, not to mention, a culture that doesn't stigmatize each other for needing help.

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Are we still living in the Dark Ages, for Pete's sake? Mental Illness can be caused by physical/chemical imbalance problems in the brain. This is a proven medical fact! Mental illness should have been destigmatized a long time ago. It is just as devastating as cancer or severe diabetes. It eats away at a person's dignity and self-worth. People think nothing of seeing a medical professional for physical illnesses. The same should be true of mental illness. Go see a trained professional! Christian based therapy is proving to be life saving and life changing!!! There is HOPE!

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God help us all to measure our words when we post. You never know who might be reading. I am really angered and embarrassed today by some that associate with the Apostolic faith.

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I meant to send a PM but accidently posted it. I deleted it. I'm not posting today.....I'll say something I regret. The filter between my brain and my mouth is missing at the moment.

To those of you who care deeply about those who are struggling and who would NEVER condemn them, no matter what.....thank you and thank you for your support during these events.

Thanks Keith for getting this started and thank you to those who have a proper understanding of medicine.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

The campaign against ADD and ADHD drugs for hyper-active kids has spoiled the whole bunch when it comes to psychotropic drugs. It is proven fact that neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are out of "balance" in the brains of patients with mental disorders.

http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/dep.../l/blbl100.htm

Discounting the beneficial effects of SSRI's and related drug therapy for those who suffer from mental illness is just plain ignorance.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Pastor Keith, your concern is a real. The question is, how do we deal with this problem? Do we turn ourselves into those who may not understand how complicated our issues are? Whether our grief is born out of ministerial frustration, or a saint who is distraught with questions that have no answers, do we continue our counseling sessions with religious "drones" that don't have a real pilot on board?

I am a pastor and work a secular job. I have worked in an office building, that for the last four years, has 2 active couseling offices with licensed therapists. Because of my office location, my secretary and I see the clients before they see the therapists. We have also become friends with these therapists, and they have actually sat in my office asking for advice. Many of those on repeat visits have been HOOKED on drugs. Many are just lazy, and are looking for someone that will feed their co-dependancy. This vicious cycle is sad. I think people feel limited. We grind our own axe, and live below our potential.

I'll try not to be synical, but I must admit, the industry of mental health is lacking in not only research, but integrity with Spiritual focus. A pill, program, or digging up someones past to the point where hatred may boil upon those who "did them wrong" can lead people to becoming worse, and more sick than before. I'm not saying all therapists do this, but much of their technique is proven fallable.

"Fixing" ones emotional trauma is less dramatic than one might think. I feel as Apostolics, we complicate matters by creating an emotionally based evrioment that leads people to a false hope and expectation. Since preachers are the "Annointed ones", saints feel be-littled and unable to think for themselves. The hounding voice of ones conscience becomes overwhellming, and to be a "Free Thinker" is destroyed by rhetorical dogma. "God Is", is limited by mans horrible ability to control and manipulate people through Church services that imitate a circus.

If a person is ever to question, the answer becomes the blazay, bluesy, same ol, same ol, by those in spiritual authority. Say 5 hail marys and 4 our Fathers. While your at it, go crawl on some glass. Because God becomes limited, so do people. Our boxed, dried up Faith is all people get. Boring, unchallenging, descpicable Faith. Take a pill, OBEY, stop being rebellious, and whatever you do, NEVER question our TRADITION!!!!

I feel it's time to throw away our Cliche's! We believe something simply because we believe it, not because we KNOW it! "One Nation Under God" is not this Country, yet we claim it. We do the same with Religion. I suggest we take the "Mask" off! Enough of our pride and arrogance towards those who hurt with real questions! Let them ask! Let them search! Even if it means WE must change!!

God forbid, we might learn something!! Hey, we might even unleash an Einstein or an Edison! Might do us some good to get some "LIGHT" on the subject!

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Obama care
american thinker


"Sweden shows how to save money in health care
James Lewis

Two scandalous news stories about Swedish medical care -- both from taking the cheapest way out -- by not doing routine brain scans.


Story 1, today: Doctors miss fist-sized brain tumour.


"A Swedish woman has reported four physicians to a national body that assesses medical negligence after they missed a brain tumour the size of a fist."


The docs told this poor woman that it was just her usual headaches, and gave her pain pills.


Story 2. Doctors missed pencil in Swedish boy's brain


Published: 17 Dec 08 12:38 CE


"Two doctors from Karlskrona in southern Sweden have been reprimanded for failing to spot the five centimetre piece chunk of a pencil lodged in the brain of a 14-year-old boy.""

No one mention neurological problems. We had a woman in church this year with a brain tumor. It was attached to the anterior side of the hypothalmus. You all may not know these are difficult to reach. We prayed over her healing and in 2 weeks the pastor read an MRI report confirming it had diminished. This is a highly vascularized area and they can grow rapidly.
I still think too many of us go to God last instead of first.

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

GOD is the author of all sciences, biology included.
I believe that a spiritually weak person, especially one that doesn't have the Holy Ghost, and/or one that has even backslidden to the point of reveling in former activities pre-baptism in JESUS name, has little power to overcome., in fact just those facts (backsliding) can render a person to feel battered by the darts of satan; guilt can also depress a person; its up to the person to stay close to GOD, to maintain his/her spiritual "health" if you will., in other words we must keep ourselves in check with the spirit, and within HIS safety net. Our spirit health affects the mental health, not the other way around., first things first. JESUS is able to overcome any and all maladies a person can fall into., but that person MUSt have the faith to carry him/her through., and exercise it.
I may not have explained this as well as I'm thinkin it, so if it doesn't make sense, sorry.

The joy of the LORD is my strength! ;)

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

YES! When you are ill, go to God FIRST! Then He will speak these words to your heart, "Go to your doctor, my child, for your doctor has diligently studied the inner workings of human anatomy & physiology and will be able to provide care and healing so that you may find relief for what ails you!"

Re: If Your Depressed and Despondent Get Some Hel
 

Cry out to JESUS!!