David P. Murray - Christians Get Depressed Too: Hope and Help for Depressed People

by

Reformation Heritage Books
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Christians Get Depressed Too
2010 by David P. Murray

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Direct your requests to the publisher at either of the following addresses:

Reformation Heritage Books

2965 Leonard Street, NE

Grand Rapids, MI 49525

616-977-0889 / Fax 616-285-3246

www.heritagebooks.org

Printed in the United States of America
10 11 12 13 14 15/10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Murray, David P.

Christians get depressed too: hope and help for depressed people/David P. Murray.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-60178-100-0

1. Depression, MentalReligious aspectsChristianity.

2. EmotionsReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. SufferingReligious aspectsChristianity. 4. Depression, Mental. I. Title.

BV4910.34.M87 2010

248.8625dc22

2010025745

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To my lovely wife Shona.

Thank you for everything.
Yes, everything.

I was at the end of knowing what was wrong with me when the Lord brought Dr. Murray and his materials into my life. These things have been used by the Lord as a lifeline for me. I would recommend that every Christian read what he has written.

N. M., SOUTH CAROLINA

In a very compassionate manner, Dr. Murray helps ease the guilt that accompanies the inexpressible agony of depression. Based on Scripture, this treasure shows the depressed believer that he is not forsaken of God, is not an inferior Christian, and is not necessarily being punished for some sin. The author carefully explains the thoughts and feelings of the depressed and then offers cures. He concludes by very pointedly addressing those who care for the depressed. This is one of the most practical and encouraging books I have read on depression, and having suffered from depression myself, I have read many.

S. L., GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

I thank God for Dr. Murrays book. It has helped me immensely in learning and understanding the possible causes and cures for depression/anxiety, which have grabbed my innermost being at times in my life. The practical applications and clear writing for the layman are most helpful! This book chops away at the guilt that comes from being a Christian and depressed. I highly recommend this book. It has a place on my bookshelf to be read during those dark times of depression!

DAN MAYVILLE, AMHERSTBURG, ONTARIO, CANADA

When I was first diagnosed with depression, I was completely overcome by shame. I have a wonderful husband, five adorable children, and, most importantly, I have Christ. I thought then that real Christians DONT get depressed.

Dr. Murrays book, Christians Get Depressed Too , was recommended to me. As I read it, I cannot express the relief and comfort I received. For a little over a year I wondered if God had abandoned me, but after reading Christians Get Depressed Too , my faith was greatly strengthened, and I was reassured that God has not and never will forsake me. I thank Dr. Murray for the biblical and pastoral care in his book as well as the balanced approach he takes between the all physical, all spiritual, and all mental views concerning depression.

During my depression, I felt as though I was drowning in the middle of the ocean, and this book was a life preserver to me. May God continue to use this book to uplift downcast spirits and glorify His name.

JENI LUBBERS, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

As someone who has struggled with this darkness called depression, I have tried to make sense of this relentless foe for years. For the most part I have bought into the thinking that a Christian who deals with depression must be caught up in sin. Dr. Murrays book has brought a ray of sunshine on this dark subject. Gratefully now I have a keener awareness of the different attacks brought on by depression and how to handle them with the practical applications that Dr. Murray so clearly shows in this book. I am eternally blessed for having this helpful and smart book.

JASON HAYES, WINDSOR, ONTARIO, CANADA

Perhaps you picked up this small book out of desperation. Perhaps, like many Christians, you are secretly suffering from mental or emotional distressmaybe depression or panic attacksand you have tried many remedies but are growing no better, only worse. Or perhaps someone in your family is suffering in this way and you just dont know how to respond or help. Or possibly you are a pastor who feels helpless when you know that one of your beloved sheep suffers from mental distress. Whatever your reason for opening this book, I hope you will find something in these pages that will either help you in your suffering or that will help you in ministering to the suffering.

My choice of title, Christians Get Depressed Too , is intended to oppose and correct a very common Christian response to Christians suffering from depression: But Christians dont get depressed! How many times have you thought that, said that, or heard that? How many times have Christian pastors and counselors made this claim, or at least implied it? If it is true that Christians dont get depressed, it must mean either that the Christian suffering from depression is not truly depressed, or he is not a true Christian. But if this notion is false, what extra and unnecessary pain and guilt are heaped upon an already darkened mind and broken heart!

This book will argue that some Christians do get depressed! In the first chapter we will consider why we should study depression. In the second we will ask, How should we study depression? Third, we will look at what depression is. Then we will look at the different approaches to helping people with depression. We will look at what the sufferer can do, what caregivers can do, and what the church can do.

Before we go on, though, perhaps you are wondering what qualifies me to write about this subject. That is a valid question, which I will answer in four ways. First, let me make clear that I am not a medical doctor. I have, however, checked all the contents with an experienced medical doctor and a Christian psychologist, both of whom have long and firsthand experience in treating many patients with depression.

Second, I was a pastor for twelve years in the northwest of Scotland, both in Wester Ross and the Outer Hebrides, areas with some of the highest rates of depression in the world. I have had multiple contacts with people who suffer from depression and also with some who have committed suicide. My motivation and methodology in writing, then, is not academic but practical. I desperately want to help sufferers and those who minister to them. That is why this book is short and simple. Depressed people cannot read hundreds of pages. They need short, simple, yet substantive instruction and advice. I hope these pages meet that need both for them and their loved ones. So you might want to view these pages as Depression 101, or maybe, more accurately, Depression 911. It is an emergency guide, a brief explanation of the condition, the causes, and the cures for both the sufferers and the caregivers. In the last chapter, I will recommend some books on depression that are more comprehensive and exhaustive. Ive also included an appendix on the sufficiency of Scripture.