Treating Depression From Two Perspectives: Psychology And Religion

Old as humanity, the condition of depression is not only the problem of our century as it may have been tagged before, but its roots go back in time to the Garden of Eden. Depression is seen as a dispositional disorder which is emotionally, cognitively, motivationally and somatically manifested. From the somatic point of view, depressive persons suffer modifications of the appetite, sleep and sexual desire. Transformations can also be seen at the cognitive level where negative and dysfunctional thoughts induce feelings of guilt and inappropriateness. Negative emotions and thoughts influence the motivation of the depressed persons which refuse to initiate new behavior and are totally lacking perseverance. According to Aaron T. Beck negative thoughts are generated by irrational beliefs which represent the main cause of the symptoms stated above. He claims there is a direct relationship between the quantity of negative thoughts and the severity of depressive symptoms. Beck presents three major themes which underline the dysfunctional beliefs of the depressed persons: (1) I am a useless, defect and inappropriate person, (2) All my experiences end up in failures and disappointments and (3) My future is totally lacking hope.

So, depression is a fact, a reality which is not only "the disease of the century" but it can be said it appeared when irrational beliefs appeared, and this probably happened when humanity came into being. From this point of view, it is perfectly normal that the concerning for depression was manifested long before the psychological theories developed. One of the domains which deal with depression is the spiritual or the religious domain. From this perspective, depression is seen in various ways. Some tend to consider it a sin, others a means of punishment and others just a simple consequence of one's actions and thoughts. This largely depends on the way God is perceived.

One of the psychological models which combine psychology and spirituality and which tries to answer to questions like what is the role of depression and why did God allow depression among humanity, is "The Heart Cry Model" (HCM), elaborated by Armentrout (1995, 2000). The essence of this model states the idea that depression, especially in its initial forms, represents a motivational state, allowed by God in order to make people adopt corrective measures. Because God's intention is to make humanity resemble to Him and to actualize His image in His creation, God intervenes into the human existence through diverse methods which offer opportunities of changing and renewal.

According to the HCM, depression represents an alarm signal. Combined with Beck's theory, the model claims that the alarm signal is intended to make the depressed person realize that the beliefs which govern his behavior are irrational and also dysfunctional. Furthermore, they hide behind them misconceptions of God and attitudes which lead to a low quality relationship with God. The mechanism is the following: irrational cognitions and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness create psychological discomfort and pain. These two come together as an alarm signal that something is wrong. When the depression is minor, the person can directly intervene and change. When this thing doesn't happen, the deepening of the depression will represent an alarm signal for the social network surrounding the depressed person, which will take action.

Thus, in order to treat depression there are two areas in which the intervention needs to be done. Firstly, there is needed medication in order to bring the level of neurotransmitters into balance and secondly there is an essential need for cognitive-behavioral therapy. If the patient is religious, the therapist can change his cognitions according to a set of religious principles, such as those who iterate that every person was "wonderfully made" in God's image, or that Jesus promised that HE is with us every day, meaning that all the experiences one goes through are known to Him, or that He is always taking care of the future, bringing hope and help in times of need.

In conclusion, depressions are very common disorders which are consequences of a dysfunctional thinking system. God allows them to happen because throughout the psychological suffering, He can get closer to the hurt people and can trigger an alarm signal that things are not on the right path. Thus, depression is treated when the irrational cognitions and beliefs are replaced with other rational and functional ones.