Depression and Anxiety
Depression and anxiety often go together because they are to do with damage to the self-esteem that could be either psychological or physical. It is damage now in the case of depression. The damage has already occurred so the person has a negative bias and will say things such as, I am useless, I am worthless, I am inadequate, I am stupid. This is the way they see themselves. They will interpret events in terms of this negative self image. Now with the anxious person, it is the same thing except that it hasn’t happened yet, they don’t yet see themselves as inadequate stupid etc. but they interpret future situations as possibly showing that, so a depressed person in a social situation will think I am worthless useless so on, the anxious person will think if I stick my neck out, I may be shown to be worthless, stupid etc, so they are afraid of something that may happen to them, vigilant about what may happen, but with the depressed patient it has already happened. When a depressed person thinks of the future they always think in terms of something that definitely will happen, anxious people see the outcome as a possibility, the depressed person sees it as a certainty. The bible is replete with characters having depression such as Elijah, Jonah and David. The Psalmist said Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. …For You are the God of my strength…” Invite someone to take a closer look at Christ and his church.
