Archibald Hart - A Womans Guide to Overcoming Depression

A WOMANS GUIDE TO
OVERCOMING
DEPRESSION

A WOMANS GUIDE TO
OVERCOMING
DEPRESSION

Archibald Hart, Ph.D.
Catherine Hart Weber, Ph.D.

2002 by Archibald Hart, Ph.D., and Catherine Hart Weber, Ph.D.

Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com

Spire edition published 2007
ISBN 10: 0-8007-8758-7
ISBN 978-0-8007-8758-5

Previously published in 2002 under the title Unveiling Depression inWomen

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

This book is lovingly dedicated
to all the young girls and women in our families:
Kathleen, Catherine, Sharon, Sylvia,
Nicole, Ashley, and Caitlan

CONTENTS

Chances are, youve been touched by depression in some way. Its an epidemic, after all, especially among women and children. In fact, every fourth woman around you has the potential for becoming seriously depressed; if youre that woman, you only have a one in three chance of getting the help you really need. Too many women will suffer alone unnecessarily, hoping somehow theyll snap out of it.

Whether youre that woman with firsthand experience of depression or simply close to someone who fights it, theres no need to feel alone or helpless.

This book can help you.

Its an updated, comprehensive, practical resource and guide that shows, explains, and gives tools for overcoming and building resistance to mild to moderate depression. Along with the latest medical, psychological, and practical information, it offers a biblical approach and our prayer that through a proper understanding of Gods divine plan for your health and wholeness, youll discover complete healing.

Keep in mind that if you or someone you know is experiencing severe clinical depression or has been depressed for some time, its important to get competent, qualified professional help to determine the cause and severity. Counseling, along with possible antidepressant medication, social support, and a wellness lifestyle, will be essential for a full recovery and for preventing a relapse.

To help you each step of the way, this book aims to keep things simple and give you just the information you need. In fact, if youre too daunted right now to even delve into the entire book from front to back, start just with this summary. Youll find the chapters supporting these summary points are full of more detailed and useful help.

1. Depression is treatable! See chapter 1. Get help as soon as you can. The longer you wait, the harder it gets.

2. You need not be alonetalk to someone you trust. Encouragement, support, and help can be found when you confide any thoughts about how youre feeling.

3. You can know the severity of your depression and determineits type. Take the depression quiz in chapter 2; if your depression is moderate to severe, seek professional help immediately.

4. You can understand the underlying cause(s) of your depressionand what it may be signaling to you. A thorough medical and psychological evaluation will help determine risk factors, and chapters 3 to 6 address these.

5. You can know the most effective treatment options for you, whether its counseling and psychotherapy; antidepressant medication therapy for moderate to severe and long-term depression; or other natural complementary treatment options and remedies, including wellness lifestyle choices for preventing future depressions. See chapters 7 to 10.

6. You can get treatmentand quickly. Your doctor or a friend can help if youve experienced depression symptoms for more than two weeks, if your depression is affecting your life in negative ways, or if you are having thoughts or feelings of hurting yourself. Call a suicide hotline or have someone take you to an emergency room if you are not able to go yourself. Always remember: Your problem might be physical and easily treated.

7. A professional counselor can help you on an ongoing basis by helping you discover and heal some deep-seated emotional hurt, or more positively aligning your beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors.

8. You can receive a complete medical examination thatrules out other possible physical or medical conditionsthat could be causing your depression. Your doctor can give you the appropriate referral for treatment of any underlying physical problem.

9. A positive support system is just a phone call away. Family, friends, your church community, and others close to you can take you to appointments or help you with the necessities of daily living. Take advantage of this as it will help you find connections during this painful time.

10. You can take small steps every day that move you towardstrategies for recovery. Chapter 10 guides you through practical resources for overcoming depression and for wellness living. We also equip you for the roadblocks to your recovery.

11. You can learn how to live with a woman who is depressed. Tools in chapter 11 show you how to be helpful, as well as how to care for yourself.

Finally, know that this guide aims to help you become knowledgeable enough to be your own health advocate. Well guide you through getting the professional help you need, as well as taking care of yourself and making healthy lifestyle choices. And the result is something you can take heart in: With each new thing you learn, test, and try, you will be on the road to recovery and building your resistance to future depressions.

PART 1
UNDERSTANDING
DEPRESSION IN WOMEN

1
WHAT EVERY WOMAN
SHOULD KNOW

Why are you downcast, O my soul, my inner self ?

Why are you so disturbed and disquieted within me?

I choose to put my hope in you, God, to wait expectantly for you, and I will still praise You, my help, my Savior and my God.

O my God, my life is downcast within me, and it is more than I can bear; therefore I will earnestly remember you!

Prayer inspired by Psalm 42:56

Nena is the envy of many. A charming, warm, and happy forty-two-year-old, she completed college with top honors and took up teaching as a career. She can sew, crochet, cook, bake, paint in watercolors, and enjoy a good laugh. She is a very good mother, wife, neighbor, and Christian, and is highly sought after to be on every church committee imaginable. Outwardly, there is nothing wrong with her life. She is adored by a doting husband and lovingly respected by her two teenage children, a boy and a girl.

But the outside doesnt always match the inside. One day while getting out of bed, Nena felt something wasnt right. At first, she considered it a mild case of the flu, but things got worse. It wasnt the flu at all.

A profound state of fatigue had overtaken her, and it continued to the point that mornings brought an endless fight to get out of bed. Nena had once been an early riser, often going for a jog with her husband before getting the kids ready and off to school. But now that seemed impossibly far away. She would just lie there, feeling that her arms and legs couldnt respond to her wishes.