Posted: 02/17/2009 at 6:50am | IP Logged

I don't have any advice on whether or not you should take medication, but when I was reading your post I had the following thought

Are you an intercessor?  Often times I will "feel" the emotions of all the people around me, and it can be pretty horrible.  I wonder why  I am so depressed and why I can't stop crying.  I sat on the front row at the last church I attended and had to keep my eyes closed during the altar call because I would start feeling all the pains and hurts of whoever I looked at.  I am still learning how to pray and process this type of emotional information.  The next time this happens to you, stop and ask the Lord if the feelings are yours or someone else's.  I am often surprised at how often they aren't my own. 

I hope this helps.  I have suffered from depression in many forms through my life and I know how hard it can be.  Medication did not work for me, but I know of many people it did.  That is a decision you will have to make with the Lord's guidance. 

Posted: 02/17/2009 at 6:22pm | IP Logged

If you are on a mental health rotation that could explain a lot.  I would suggest praying and studying about what it means to be an intercessor.  It can mean different things for different people.  I would also suggest praying over your self before you do any mental health work.  Ask for protection and discernment.  There can be a lot of spiritual warfare in mental health work, even if all you do is interview the patients.

And since it sounds like you are studying to be a nurse, this may be preaching to the choir, but make sure you are eating healthy.  I am still working on this for me, but when I am successful at it the difference in how I feel is pretty radical.  I have found that my mind is clearer and I am better able to cope with the emotional ups and downs of life and that it is easier to discern what feelings are actually mine.

I was trying to think of a scripture to encourage you, and what I got was

Matthew 6:33(amplified)

  ³³But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

    ³⁴So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

Peace

Debbie  

Posted: 03/04/2009 at 9:05pm | IP Logged

I had a real breakthrough on Sunday. I found myself praying and repented of depression. I found Phillipians 4:8 where it says to think on things that are pure, lovely, of good report, true, ect. and it occured to me that if I am consumed with thoughts of darkness/death/hell ect. then that is not obeying the scripture and therefore sin. SO I totally repented of it!

Except tonite I am crying a bit, but it's for different reasons. I think God is working on my heart. I had such an awsome time at small group last night (Tue night). Me and a couple others were worshiping God after most people left and it was so awsome. Then tonite when I went a worship service at a church and I really missed the people from small group but the one girl who was there was always busy talking to other people. But God led me to get up from my seat (in the back corner by myself) and led me to find other people I knew there and sat with them  Then at the end they showed the movie trailor for the movie Fireproof and that just got to my heart and made me cry, and then when I got home from missing my friends and that trailor is why I'm crying. So I think that is different from the past depression where I was just crying for bizzarre reasons and consumed with dark thoughts.

Posted: 03/10/2009 at 8:28pm | IP Logged

You need to find a Christian psychiatrist that can lead you into prayer and the scriptures as well as the right meds.  It could be a chemical imbalance of the brain that is causing the depression and meds would fix this. 

God has always showed me that I have to do what I need to do in the natural and then he will do his part.  For example if I want a job, I can't just pray for a job, I have to look for a job.  God has provided for me though food stamps, welfare, SSI and a job. But I had to do my part.  I had to go places, fill out papers ect.  I could not wait for manna to fall from the sky.  God is a practical God as well as a miracle working God.  He also works in practical ways and mysterys ways.

He can heal in many different ways, he can miraculiously heal or used doctors and medicine.  Your part is to find a Christian psychiatrist.  And still stand on God's word for a complete healing and delivarance from the depression. Then God will do his part.

My daughter also suffers from depression and was cutting for a while.  If I took all her meds away that would be a huge mistake. Get to the doctor and have him help you.  Also find a good Christian therapist as well.

Call your pastor asked him if he knows of a Christian psychiatrist and Christian therapist.