Is
Depression Linked to Anger?
By
Hope Forrest
Depression
is a funny thing. Well, actually, it's not funny
at all. In reality, it's terribly depressing.
I know this to be true as my husband, Sherwood,
was diagnosed with clinical depression more
than seven years ago. Since then, it's been
trial by fire - for him, for our marriage, and
for our sanity.
Back
in 1996 when Sherwood was first diagnosed, our
pastor asked him if he was harboring any anger
in his heart. Our pastor mentioned that in his
past counseling experiences, anger often played
a part in the cause of depression. But after
much reflection, Sherwood couldn't identify
any hidden hostilities. He started taking Prozac
and we tried to move on with our lives.
And,
move on we did. Having heard the rainy coast
can sometimes have an effect on depression,
we packed up our stuff and headed out over the
Rockies for bluer skies and hopefully greener
pastures. It was the best move of our lives,
but still, his depression persisted.
The
years vanished almost as quickly as his bottles
of Prozac. I adjusted to the man I was living
with, but I missed the one I married. The girls
learned to keep quiet during his bleakest days
and to make the most of the good ones. From
all appearances, we were a happy, well-adjusted
family. That's the problem with appearances.
They're not always what they seem.
I
mean, we were happy enough. Well, maybe happy
isn't the right word. But, we really didn't
know any better. We loved each other, and God
miraculously provided for us, so we plodded
along. Putting one foot in front of the other,
we stayed true to the course, and to each other.
Right up until last month.
That's
when we got our miracle. Finally. Just when
we had stopped looking.
It
was a few weeks after his father's death, and
Sherwood was having trouble dealing with his
loss. Attending a Sunday evening service, he
went forward for prayer. They say confession
is good for the soul, and this proved true for
Sherwood. Emptying his heart to God, the weight
on his chest that was a physical symptom of
his depression, completely left him. To hear
Sherwood describe it, 'My heart threw up.'
I
guess our pastor was right after all. The thing
is, when you're in depression, it's hard to
look back and clearly see where it started.
You're too down to see your way up. Drugs help
you to cope, but they don't solve the problem.
Confession, forgiveness, healing and thankfulness
- that's what ultimately gave Sherwood back
his peace - and gave me back my man.
Psalm
51:10 says, "Create in me a clean heart,
Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me."
God
certainly cleansed Sherwood's heart that night;
the change was obvious and dramatic. Each morning,
I watch Sherwood as he wakes up. The first thing
he does is run his hand across his chest - just
to make sure the weight is still gone. Our eyes
meet and we giggle with glee. So sure of his
healing, we've even sold our Prozac shares.
Do
I think that all depression is heart related?
From reading I have done, it seems depression
can be caused by many other factors. For example,
hormonal imbalances, especially after childbirth
and in menopause, can cause depression. Other
chemical imbalances in the brain have also been
found to contribute to depression.
In
my husband's case, it was purely related to
issues of the heart. The horrible depression
and heaviness was lifted only after God worked
on his heart.
Hope
Forrest is the name of a fictional mother and
the writer of the satirical column, "Mum's
the Word". Trying to achieve Martha Stewart
living in a Marge Simpson world, Hope sometimes
suffers occasional mental breakdowns. Hope Forrest's
rantings have been published weekly in the Strathmore
Standard for over three years, and have been
featured several times at www.parentinghumor.com,
www.canadianparents.com,
and Canadian Parents Magazine. Hope's alter-ego,
Lori Bersaglio, enjoys speaking to groups of
tired, weary mothers; her goal is to leave them
feeling encouraged and refreshed. Visit Hope
at: www.hopeforrest.com
Do
you know God personally? Read:
Peace with God
