The New Bible Cure for Depression & Anxiety (2 page)

Introduction: A Brand-New Bible Cure for a Brand-New You!

The secret is out—
even Christians get depressed.
Unfortunately, Christian people often feel that they must hide their pain and pretend that nothing is wrong. This act in itself can make their condition much worse and more difficult to overcome. If you are battling with depression or anxiety, or if someone in your family is suffering from depression or anxiety, I can confidently tell you that there is hope.

Before I go any further, it is important that I make the following statement: If you or a loved one are having any suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself or others in any way, it is critically important that you consult your primary care physician or go to the nearest emergency room. Thoughts such as these mean that you are suffering from severe depression, and you will probably need special attention in order to control the severity of your symptoms.

However, for the majority of people, the concepts outlined in this book will help you to overcome both depression and anxiety without the use of medications. You or a loved one may feel depressed or anxious at the moment, but you took an important first step toward complete healing, health, and joy when you picked up this book. As a caring Christian and as a medical doctor, I wrote this book specifically to help you and those you love take hold of what Jesus called “inexpressible joy.” (This must surely be the opposite of depression, an “inexpressible sadness.”)

The apostle Peter said that this kind of joy stems from our love for Jesus Christ: “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy” (1 Pet. 1:8).

This Bible Cure book will help you move from depression to happiness and from anxiety to peace of mind. Welcome to yet another hope-filled book in the Bible Cure series to help you know how to keep the temple of your body fit and healthy emotionally and mentally. In this series of books, you will uncover God’s divine plan of health for body, soul, and spirit through modern medicine, good nutrition, and the medicinal power of Scripture and prayer.

Originally published as
The Bible Cure for Depression and Anxiety
in 1999,
The New Bible Cure for Depression and Anxiety
has been revised and updated with the latest medical research on depression and anxiety. If you compare it side by side with the previous edition, you’ll see that it’s also larger, allowing me to expand greatly upon the information provided in the previous edition and provide you with a deeper understanding of what you face and how to overcome it.

Unchanged from the previous edition are the timeless, life-changing, and healing scriptures throughout this book that will strengthen and encourage your spirit and soul. The proven principles, truths, and guidelines in these passages anchor the practical and medical insights also contained in this book. They will effectively focus your prayers, thoughts, and actions so you can step into God’s plan of divine health for you—a plan that includes victory over depression and anxiety.

Another change since the original
The Bible Cure for Depression and Anxiety
was published is that I’ve released a foundational book,
The Seven Pillars of Health
. I encourage you to read it because the principles of health it contains are the foundation to healthy living that will affect all areas of your life. It sets the stage for everything you will ever read in any other book I’ve published—including this one.

I pray that these spiritual and practical suggestions for health, nutrition, and fitness will bring wholeness to your life, increase your spiritual understanding, and strengthen your ability to worship and serve God.

—Don Colbert, MD

A
Bible Cure
Prayer for You

Heavenly Father, I ask in the name of Jesus that You would open my heart and mind to the truth and absolute power of Your Word, the Bible. Give me supernatural hope and total assurance that if I come to You with my burdens, then You can and will help me totally overcome depression. Give me the courage and the ability to apply everything I learn to my own life so I can live in complete victory over fear, anxiety, and worry. Thank You, Father. I give You all of the glory and praise for my healing and victory, in the name of my healer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Chapter 1: Joy Instead of Sadness

Let me get right to the point: If you feel depressed at this very moment,
you don’t have to stay depressed
. Take courage, because
The New Bible Cure for Depression and Anxiety
will give you positive natural and spiritual steps to help you overcome depression, sadness, anxiety, and worry. You can start this very minute to move from the “pit of pain” to the plain of stability, wholeness, and peace of mind.

As a practicing medical doctor for more than twenty-five years, I have seen a dramatic rise in both depression and anxiety in my patients. The statistics on mental health disorders are absolutely staggering in the United States. It is estimated that in any given year 26.2 percent of adult Americans—about one in every four people—suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder.
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This figure translates to approximately 57.7 million people.
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Americans are also typically stressed to the maximum—and the stress level is increasing. I believe Americans are experiencing significantly more stress now than they were when I published the first edition of this book in 1999. Today’s newspapers and twenty-four-hour news networks often report news—such as threats of war and terrorism—that provoke people to become depressed and anxious.

And what many Americans are experiencing firsthand is even more stressful than what they see on the news. Due to the downward spiral in the economy, many Americans are losing their jobs, losing their homes to foreclosure, or they have lost a large amount of their savings in the stock market. Many people who still have jobs are working longer and harder at the same jobs—some for less pay and with less employee benefits.

Then there is family stress—not having enough hours in the day to get everything done. Also, many families have been broken through divorce or blended together through remarriage, creating even more stress. Many teens are rebelling or abusing drugs. Even children worry about things they used to never have to worry about, such as gang violence, school shootings, and child abductions.

Situations like these can cause even the most optimistic of us to become stressed, anxious, worried, fearful, or a little down. But for some, these feelings don’t quickly pass; instead they linger and turn into depression and anxiety.

Depression and anxiety can lead to severe emotional pain along with physical symptoms, destroyed marriages and relationships, substance abuse, or loss of employment as a result of habitual absences. Depression and anxiety can take over to the point that they prevent you from living a productive and fulfilling life. If this describes you or someone you love, it is likely the result of either depression or anxiety—or both. I will address anxiety in the next chapter. For now, let’s focus on depression.

As I said, it is normal for people to feel “down” or to have the “blues” when they experience a sad circumstance such as the death of a loved one or friend, the loss of a job, a divorce, separation, or some other significant loss. However, anyone who experiences continued depression without any recognizable cause should know that this may be a warning sign of major depression, an affliction that affects millions of people around the world.

The good news is that you can overcome these conditions. God has provided you with resources in both the natural and spiritual realms to defeat depression and anxiety. As you take the positive steps outlined in this book, hope should begin to replace depression and inner peace will overcome anxiety. (Note: If your depression persists or deepens, consult a physician, pastor, psychologist, mental health counselor, or Christian counselor. At times even the strongest ones among us need a helping hand to climb over an obstacle.)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

—Philippians 4:6–7

Are You Depressed?

Depression is a global problem. One in six people around the world will suffer from major depression at some point during their lives. It has been estimated that by the year 2020 depression will be the greatest disability worldwide.
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So, how do you know if you’re depressed?

A self-test

The following self-test has three questions. If you check more than two boxes per question, you may well be depressed. It isn’t possible for this list to be all-inclusive, so if you aren’t sure if you need help, I encourage you to consult your physician, pastoral counselor, or a mental health professional and take the positive steps they recommend along with the helping resources in this book. However, if you have any thoughts of harming yourself or others, that’s a different situation. You should seek professional help immediately.

1. Much of the time, do you feel…

• Sad?
  
• Lethargic?
  
• Pessimistic?
  
• Hopeless?
  
• Worthless?
  
• Helpless?
  

2. Do you often…

• Have difficulty making decisions?
  
• Have trouble concentrating?
  
• Have memory problems?
  

3. Lately, have you…

• Lost interest in things that used to give you pleasure?
  
• Had problems at work or in school?
  
• Had problems with your family or friends?
  
• Isolated yourself from others? Or wanted to?
  
• Felt that you have no energy?
  
• Felt restless and irritable?
  
• Had trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting up in the morning?
  
• Lost your appetite or gained weight?
  
• Experienced persistent headaches, stomachaches, backaches, and muscle or joint pains?
  
• Been drinking more alcoholic beverages than normal?
  
• Been taking more mood-altering medications than you used to?
  
• Engaged in risky behavior such as not wearing a seat belt or crossing streets without looking?
  
• Been thinking about death or your funeral?
  
• Been hurting yourself?
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And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

—Philippians 4:19

Three Types of Depression

Depression is very misunderstood, perhaps because it can affect all three parts of your being—spirit, soul, and body. Any truly effective treatment for depression must address all three areas. Most of the time depression begins in your emotional and mental realm. Then it begins to affect your physical body, and finally it begins to affect your spiritual man. Usually, the problem actually begins in the mind because of a chemical imbalance. In any case, God has very real answers for this very real problem.

A
Bible Cure
Health Fact

Facts About Mood Disorders and Depression

• About 20.9 million adult Americans—9.5 percent of the population—suffer from a mood disorder, which is often accompanied by an anxiety disorder. Some people suffer from more than one disorder at the same time.
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• Major depressive disorder, which is more prevalent in women than men, affects approximately 14.8 million adults—that’s about 6.7 percent of U.S. population.
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  This is the leading cause of disability in the United States for ages fifteen to forty-four.
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• Dysthymic disorder, which is mild depression, affects approximately 1.5 percent of the U.S. population,
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  or 3.3 million American adults.
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• Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million Americans, or about 2.6 percent of the U.S. adult population.
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The three major types of depression, also called depressive disorders or mood disorders, are:

Major depressive disorder
—Major depression is an illness that can lead to an inability to function normally in society, and it can eventually lead to suicide. Major depression includes at least four of the symptoms in the Bible Cure Health Fact on the next page.

A
Bible Cure
Health Fact

The Symptoms of Major Depression

• Feelings of guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, or worthlessness
  
• Persistent sadness and a pessimistic attitude
  
• Difficulty concentrating
  
• Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities that would bring pleasure, including sex
  
• Insomnia, early morning awakenings, or oversleeping
  
• Fatigue and lack of energy
  
• Weight loss or weight gain
  
• Slow movements and slow speech
  
• Suicidal thoughts [If you experience any thoughts of harming yourself or others, seek professional help immediately.]
  

Agitation and irritability

Dysthymic disorder
—Dysthymia is characterized by a prevailing feeling of sadness. This disorder has symptoms similar to depression, but the symptoms are less intense and last at least two years. With this form of depression, a person is depressed most of the day and has two or more of the following symptoms:

• Poor appetite or overeating
  
• Insomnia or hypersomnia
  
• Low energy or fatigue
  
• Low self-esteem
  
• Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
  
• Feelings of hopelessness
  

Bipolar disorder
—This type of depression, also called manic-depressive disorder, is characterized by mood swings that range from extreme highs (mania) to extreme lows (depression). These mood swings can be very rapid and dramatic, but gradual shifts from mania to depression and back to mania again are more common. With this form of depression, a person may have periods where he is severely depressed, followed by periods of grandiose behavior where he is overconfident, overtalkative, and overactive, leading to embarrassing behavior and unwise decisions. In full mania, a person’s judgment is seriously impaired. In depression, a person’s symptoms are similar to those of major depression.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Another type of depression worth mentioning is seasonal affective disorder, abbreviated as SAD. People suffering from SAD experience major mood changes when the seasons change, usually becoming depressed during the winter months but experiencing normal mental health the rest of the year. Light therapy has been found to be helpful in controlling depression associated with SAD. Exposure to high-intensity light from a light box for an hour a day for three to four weeks, or spending a week in a more sunny climate, will usually improve SAD.
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You can also purchase light visors, which are simply visor caps with LED lights inside them, as they are a much more affordable option than a light box. (See
Appendix B
for more information.)

And now, dear brothers and sisters… fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

—Philippians 4:8

Theories About Depression

Why do people become depressed? Many theories about depression exist, such as the following:

• Depression is anger turned inward.
  
• Depression is caused by loss, such as the loss of a loved one or the loss of a job.
  
• The “learned helplessness theory” states that depression is caused by feelings of hopelessness and pessimism.
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• The “monoamine hypothesis” states that chemical imbalances cause depression, such as imbalances of monoamine chemicals, which include serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. These chemicals help the neurons in the nervous system transmit their electrical impulses properly. When an imbalance in these chemicals occur, mental health is affected adversely.
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I believe that there is some truth in all of the different theories on depression. However, I also believe that we need a solution that combines these theories in order to identify and eliminate the psychological factors as well as to correct imbalances in neurotransmitters in the brain. (A neurotransmitter is a substance that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse—the space between the junction of two nerve cells—much as a telephone wire transmits signals between two telephones. There are excitatory neurotransmitters, similar to an accelerator on a car, which increase the firing of neurons, and inhibitory neurotransmitters, which inhibit the firing of neurons, similar to a car’s brakes. Neurotransmitters include serotonin, dopamine, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Each works in a different way, some inhibiting (GABA and serotonin), and others being excitatory (norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine).