"Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:26-27 ESV)
The first human being, Adam, was created in the image and likeness of God. Because God is love, He desired a loving relationship with Adam, as well as for Adam to have a loving human relationship, so He created Eve, who was suitable for him to connect with so that he would not be alone in life (Gen 2:18; 1 John 4:8,16). Since the very beginning of the human race, people were made for connections with one another because God desires loving connections for and with them.
Long before the turn of the 21st century, there has been an ever-increasing rise of personal individualism that has led to multiple dysfunctional and destructive trends resulting in people willingly or unwillingly distancing themselves from others and struggling to make meaningful personal connections.
Today, we are living in the midst of draconian governmental mandates issued as a result of a Global Pandemic that has forced the confinement of people (with possible abusive relatives), the wearing of masks (which hide the emotions of facial expressions of joy, happiness, empathy, love, etc.), mandatory social distancing that has caused the loss of physical contact with friends and family, the closing down of businesses which are the lifeblood of countless families, and caused declining opportunities to work and take vacations, of which all have exponentially exacerbated a growing mental health epidemic and have caused the breaking of countless social connections which are so vital for a healthy society.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is now the number one leading cause of disability worldwide. The WHO projects that by 2030, the amount of disability and life lost from depression will surpass war, accidents, cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Back in 2011, the WHO stated that "Mental health is produced socially. The presence or absence of mental health is above all a social indicator, and therefore requires social as well as individual solutions."
Back in 1978, a study was published which presented the hypothesis that the primary causes of depression were psychological and social (63%), not biological (37% - a chemical imbalance), which had been believed to be the primary root cause. The study showed that people with a diagnosis of reactive depression (caused by stressful life events) and those with an endogenous disorder (a chemical imbalance) had the same amount of negative experiences in their past.
Lost Connections
In the book "Lost Connections – Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions," author Johann Hari investigated the psychological and social factors that contribute to the mental health challenges of depression (which he calls "disconnections"), as well as innovative social and environmental treatments for depression (or "reconnections").
Hari had taken clinical anti-depressants for a number of years that did not bring an end to his suffering. He became dissatisfied with the 'story' that doctors had given him about having a chemical imbalance in his brain. His journey of research and discovery took him all over the globe, talking to experts in depression with backgrounds in psychology, psychiatry, and pharmaceuticals, as well as numerous sufferers of the condition. Hari found nine causes of depression, as well as seven ways to reconnect with people. There are some that have criticized Hari’s findings of how to treat depression because they were not scientific. Today I am going to focus on reconnecting to people using the research of Johann Hari and from my study.
Depression Defined
Depression is the state of feeling sad, dejected, and hopeless. It can show up as irritability, anger, and discouragement and can even lead to thoughts of suicide. It can also be complicated to recognize and is often masked behind problems such as alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, troubled relationships, excessive work hours, low grades at school, difficulty in thinking and concentration. Researchers know that adults who suffer from depression were often very anxious as children.
Medical science has created anti-depressant drugs known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors to deal with the problems associated with worry, anxiety, and depression, but not the actual root issue. These drugs are prescribed by the tens of millions, and a majority of them contain chlorine, and at one time in the past, mercury before it was banned, as their primary ingredients. Studies show that only 25% of their positive effects were due to the chemicals themselves. Natural recovery accounted for another 25%, and the additional 50% came down to the placebo effect.
Mercury is connected to Alzheimer's. Exercising three times a day is eight times more effective, and a sugar pill is 20 times more effective than these anti-depressants. Research has confirmed that one of these drugs shows a 700% increase in breast cancer. Also, some of these drugs are highly addictive, and the more often a person takes them, the more often they need them to get the same effect. They can even cause an increase in the very problems they are designed to help.
Human Beings are not born with a brain that is fundamentally and structurally depressed. Life and circumstances can cause changes to the brain, which could force it into depression, but they can also be forced back out because changes to the brain are not permanent.
Causes of Depression (from the Book "Lost Connections")
Cause # 1: Disconnection from lack of Meaningful Work.
Cause # 2: Disconnection from other People and the lack of Social Support.
Cause # 3: Disconnection from Meaningful Values.
Cause # 4: Disconnection from Childhood Trauma.
Cause # 5: Disconnection from Status and Respect
Cause # 6: Disconnection from the Natural World (Nature).
Cause # 7: Disconnection from a Hopeful and Secure Future.
Cause # 8 + 9 are about the biological roles of Genes and Brain Changes. That is a subject for another day.
Let me make a note here that genetics play a significant role in the biology of depression, but there is no single "depression gene." Depression in many people can negatively affect the brain. Social, psychological, and environmental disconnections deprive the emotion centers of the brain of the happy experiences they need in order to stay mentally and physically healthy. If those disconnections persist, that unhappiness grows into depression, which makes it even more difficult to establish those connections and ultimately results in further changes in the emotion centers of the brain.
It is also important to note that even if a person has a genetic makeup that could increase their vulnerability to depression, those genes alone aren't enough to cause depression because they have to be "switched on" by the environment they live in.
The Born-Again Christian does not have to worry because their family-tree shows a history of genetic sickness and disease. Jesus Christ is the great "Redeemer" (Gal 3:13). He has promised to deliver, heal, and restore. God has provided protection that is made from the shed blood of Jesus. He will never ‘chastise or ‘punish’ His children with sickness or disease, nor will He "allow" the enemy to terrorize His children with sickness and disease or heartache and sorrow. Jesus is a good God who is faithful and true to His promises!
"We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him." (1 John 5:18 ESV)
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Ps 23:6 KJV)
The Ways of the World
A 2020 Pew Research study titled “Pew American Trends Panel: Wave 64” examined white liberals, moderates, and conservatives, both male and female. They found that conservatives were far less likely to be diagnosed with mental health issues than those who identified as either liberal or even “very liberal.” White women, ages 18-29, who identified as liberal/progressive, were diagnosed with mental disorders from medical professionals at a rate of 56.3%, compared to 28.4% in moderates and 27.3% in conservatives.
All women are 40% more likely to develop depression and anxiety than men. That is partially due at times to having a lower level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is a chemical messenger within the brain that facilitates communication between nerve cells. Serotonin maintains happy feelings and seems to keep a person’s moods under control by helping with sleep, calming anxiety, and relieving depression.
Low Serotonin levels are believed to be the reason for many cases of mild to moderate depression, which can lead to symptoms such as anxiety, apathy, fear, feelings of worthlessness, insomnia, and fatigue. Specific life experiences, like childbirth, can deplete Serotonin levels in the brain. 15% of women will be diagnosed with postpartum depression in the year following childbirth.
Removing biology and hormones from the equation, the choices people actively engage in; the behaviors they indulge in; the beliefs and convictions they hold as important; the people they spend their time with, the actions they devote their energy to, and the news they consume can have a dramatic effect on their mental health.
In this day and age, it is liberal/progressive ideology that forces an unrelenting focus on oppression, verbal violence, and micro-aggressions that is not realistic nor sustainable. Instead of focusing on empowering women and minorities with self-knowledge, the strength of character, and resilience to hardship, this ideology forces its followers to wallow in feelings of white guilt and savior narratives, causing helplessness and victimhood. Those who have been raised and taught to think that reality is subjective and then collide with objective reality will have mental health challenges.
The Biblical Way to Reduce Depression
If a person has a balanced life with no major disconnections, they won't become depressed, even with a genetic predisposition. Jesus said He "came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (1 John 10:10b ESV). Sickness, disease, worry, anxiety, stress, and depression are not definitions of an 'abundant life.'
The Born-Again Christian is to focus every day on growing "in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18 ESV). The 'abundant life' is a continual process of learning, growing in maturity, sharing, giving, falling, failing, enduring, recovering, and overcoming. While living on the earth, the Born-Again Christian sees "things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror," but one day, they will see God face to face and will know Him completely as He knows them (1 Cor 13:12).
Loneliness can be a major cause of stress and depression. The neuroscientist John Cacioppo discovered during the 1990s that loneliness causes as much stress as being punched by a stranger! Loneliness can make a bad situation even worse because it makes a person withdraw from others.
Depression creates an ego-centric worldview and unhealthy introspection, which can cause withdrawal from people. Depression is not a personal issue that should be dealt with alone. The corporate Bride of Christ (the Church - see 2 Cor 21:1-2; Rev 19:7-9, 21:1-2)), is the best place to counter that by focusing on building genuine and meaningful relationships with people who are like-minded with the same eternal hope and can offer mutual support to help restore those who are struggling with an issue(s) which provides a genuine sense of belonging. When a person focuses on other people, it forces their attention out of their head and creates the emotional breathing room they need to connect to others genuinely.
The Multi-Phased Antidote
The church has the antidote to depression. It found in small groups that gather in a home or on a church campus during the week are the best place to provide a sense of belonging because they are an intimate place for sharing, caring, and prayer. It is a place to be accepted, known, supported, and grow. They offer the antidote to the causes of depression.
1. Antidote for “Disconnection from lack of Meaningful Work.”
Everyone should all be part of a caring community that shares, helps, and protects one another. People who feel empowered are less likely to be depressed. It is within a small group or a home fellowship that change is most effective because all Born-Again Christians are a family that serves once another and is a witness to the world.
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Eph 2:19 ESV)
"…so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." (Rom 12:5 ESV)
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace" (1 Peter 4:10 ESV)
"that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17:21 ESV)
2. Antidote for "Disconnection from other People and the lack of Social Support."
Every Born-Again Christian should all be part of a community that shares, helps, encourages, and protects one another.
"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (Heb 10:25 NLT)
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps 119:105 ESV)
Within a small group, people have the opportunity to share by reading the Bible together, discussing the Sunday message, applying the truth of God's Word to their lives, and authentically sharing what is going on in each person's life.
3. Antidote "Disconnection from Meaningful Values."
There are two types of values: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic value exists or occurs that makes things (people, places, etc.) better. Extrinsic value exists that is given a value or worth based on what a person gets out of or from it.
Psychologist Tim Kasser did studies showing that people who focus on extrinsic goals, such as consumerism and materialism, are more depressed than those who focus on intrinsic goals because their happiness is based on outside factors and opinions that aren't a stable way to live.
To reconnect with meaningful values, a person needs to be aware of their motivations and spend time on truly important things. Don't lose sight of what is important, and don't forget about your family's importance. Many studies have shown that we are increasingly disconnected from meaningful values in today's consumer-driven society, which has led to a lot of unhappiness.
People who do meaningful work such as helping others, making the world a better place, etc., have a sense of purpose. Being part of a small group, volunteering at church, and participating in missional projects can provide a genuine sense of purpose as they help make the world a better place!
4. Antidote for "Disconnection from Childhood Trauma."
In addition to connecting with others, recovering from depression requires acknowledging past trauma and reclaiming a hopeful future.
"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16 ESV)
Medical researcher Dr. Vincent Felitti led a study involving 17,000 people in the San Diego, California area and discovered that childhood trauma is a significant factor for depression. Emotional abuse had more influence than sexual abuse.
Research shows that it's not just trauma itself that causes depression; it is the experience of keeping that trauma buried inside for years. In one study, Doctors expressed empathy for patients who had childhood trauma and asked if they'd like to talk about it. As a result, patients were 35% less likely to need follow-up care for any condition, mental or physical. Another study offered patients the option to discuss their trauma with a therapist, and those patients were 50% less likely to need follow-up medical care from a Doctor.
Small groups are places where a person can open up and share their joyful, as well as painful, life experiences. Doing that is like disinfecting a wound: it is painful in the short-term, but it saves them from an infection that would continue to cause problems down the road.
Small groups can help a person reconnect to a meaningful life and provide a sense of purpose
5. Antidote for "Disconnection from Status and Respect"
Depression has a way of shrinking a person's worldview down until all they can see is their pain, so finding ways to step outside that narrow focus can be a potent anti-depressant. Every Born-Again Christian must let go of their ego and walk in humility.
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." (Phil 2:3 ESV)
Humility is an acquired behavior resulting from the old nature being put to death and becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17 ESV) It is the difference between independence and interdependence. Being independent means people do things their way. Interdependence means that people willingly choose to rely upon another to survive.
God, in His own time, through His ways, is the only one who can perform the on-going crucifixion of the old nature that is needed to instill Christ-likeness within. Humility requires a total yielding of self and trusting in God. It is esteeming EVERYONE more highly than one’s self, casting ALL cares upon Him, taking NO thought for tomorrow, and not being anxious or concerned about ANYTHING (See Matt. 6:334; 1 Peter 5:7; Phil 2:4, 4:6). It is a giving up of any last confidence in self that one is better than anyone else and that they could ever possibly obtain the character of God through any of their feeble attempts to work their way to Heaven.
Everyone wants the same level of respect for their efforts from others. People prefer being in a group when feeling they had a lot to offer the group. However, in every group, people need to take on a role that fits with the contribution that they can honestly make to the group. Groups start to break down when these relationships fall apart.
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." (Rom 12:15 ESV)
In small groups, people genuinely care for each other by listening and showing the neighbors they care by doing good things for them.
"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." (Gal 6:10 ESV)
6. Antidote for "Disconnection from the Natural World (Nature)."
Nature plays an essential role in our lives. Studies have shown that people who live near greener areas are less stressed and experience fewer despair cases. Individuals immersed in nature also deal with obsessive thoughts more quickly and focus better. Planning walks, hiking together, meeting at a local park can be of great benefit.
7. Antidote "Disconnection from a Hopeful and Secure Future."
One of the characteristics of depression is that it can make a person feel like it will never end, causing the inability to see beyond it because they're disconnected from their sense of control over their destiny, resulting in their feeling disconnected from hope and security.
Having hope for a meaningful future is of utmost importance.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer 29:11 NIV)
Gathering together in genuine fellowship to study God's Word, sharing, caring, and praying for each other is the all-encompassing antidote to overcoming depression.
In a small group, people pray for one another while gathered together and throughout the week, praying for their neighbors, family, friends, co-workers, and especially those who do not know Jesus.
Prayer is the lifeblood of every Born-Again Christian, connecting the created to their Creator. Prayer has been proven to be an effective way of reducing stress, anxiety, worry, and depression. When a person prayers for another, it cultivates both empathy and sympathy, as well as joy. Sympathetic joy is about being happy for others and not feeling jealous or envious. It's about opening up to feel good when you see other people doing well.
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV)
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for he has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Heb 13:5; also Deut 31:8; Josh 1:5)
The best weapon against depression and anxiety is to build resiliency against hardship. There is no better place than in a small group to share God's promises in the Bible about today and the future.
"And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt 28:20b NLT)
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil 1:6 NASB)
When Born-Again Christians come together in church, or a small group, God has promised that "where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (Matt 18:20 ESV).
