What Is Depression?

  Depression is more than just the occasional sadness which many people experience from time to time. It is an illness characterized by persistent sadness, fatigue, and hopelessness that restricts a person’s ability to carry out their normal daily activities. It can contribute to relationship problems, physical pain, and illness.  The cause of depression may be biological, situational, or a combination of both. 
   In any given year about 7% of adults, 2.5% of children, 8.5% of adolescents, and 15% of senior citizens will suffer from an episode of depression.
   If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, you should know that depression is a serious condition which is very treatable and often curable.  Research indicates that a combination of therapy and medication often produces the best results.  It is almost impossible to think, wish, hope or pray one's way out of depression.

   Two of the most common forms of depression are Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder. 
• Major Depressive Disorder is characterized by a combination of symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy activities that they once enjoyed. Major depression is disabling and prevents a person from functioning normally. 
• Persistent Depressive Disorder is characterized by long–term (two years or longer) but less severe symptoms that may not disable a person but can prevent one from functioning normally or feeling well.  People with Persistent Depressive Disorder may also experience one or more episodes of Major Depression during their lifetimes.
   Other forms of depression include Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is characterized by the onset of a depressive illness during the winter months; Biopolar Disorder, in which depression alternates with periods of emotional highs; Post-Partum Depression, characterized by a major depressive episode one month after delivery; and Senior Depression, which is connected to the challenges of aging and occurs in about 15 percent of people over age 65.

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What Can I Do?

  Depression may or may not be accompanied by thoughts of suicide or the intention to commit suicide.
• If you have attempted or are preparing to commit suicide, call 9-1-1, check yourself into an emergency room, or call a suicide prevention hotline.

The national suicide prevention hotline is 1-800-273-8255.

• If you have thoughts about harming yourself or committing suicide, call a mental health professional immediately, or contact a suicide prevention hotline.

• If you are suffering from acute, persistent or occasional but recurring depression which prevents you from functioning normally in every day life, you should contact your family physican, a mental health professional, or a local mental health organization. Organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) provide referrals and a variety ofeducational programs and support groups.

Contact Black Hawk County NAMI at 319-235-5263. Email: namibh@qwestoffice.net.

Faith-based counseling services such as Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services can also provide counseling or referrals.
Remember that a combination of therapy and medication have generally proven to be more effective in treating depression than either one on their own. Be cautious of accepting medication from any provider without consultation with a mental health professional; always ask about possible side-effects and other options if a provider suggests medication.

Related Links:
• Use this checklist to identify common signs of depression.
• Learn how to choose a mental health provider.
• Learn more about different types of mental health therapy.
• Find tips on how to get the help you need

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Depression and Faith

   In an address to a Vatican conference on depression, Pope John Paul II noted that "depression is always a spiritual trial."  He said people suffering from depression need help "to rediscover their self-esteem, confidence in their own abilities, interest in the future, [and] the desire to live."  For them, "as for everyone else," the Pope noted, "contemplating Christ means letting oneself be 'looked at' by him--an experience that opens one to hope and convinces one to choose life."
   In their 2018 pastoral letter “Hope and Healing,” the Catholic bishops of California acknowledged  that mental illness “is a source of deep suffering for many.”  As Christians, the bishops wrote, “we believe that Christ’s suffering and death on the cross gives our anguish meaning”  and “our Catholic faith does not promise a life free from suffering or affliction.”  For that reason, “We should not expect that prayer, Scripture reading, or the sacraments, will cure mental disorders or alleviate all emotional suffering.  While the Christian faith and the sacramental life of the Church offer us the hope and the spiritual strength to endure whatever suffering God permits, we recognize that not all afflictions can be avoided and not all illnesses can be cured."
   The bishops concluded: "We have the duty as Christians to reach out to the sick, to accompany them and to do all we can to heal or diminish their suffering.  As the body of Christ, we are called to help alleviate the burdens that stem from mental afflictions.”

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Prayer Against Depression

(St. Ignatius Loyola)

O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love
and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.

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