Hello Cedartree,

It is an interesting question that you pose and one that I have thought about a lot in my life. I grew up in the church with some rather fundamentalist ideas. I used to hear discussions about depression being a spiritual problem, even relating it to demons. The solution was prayer and "giving it to God".

Even though these were the beliefs I was exposed to when I was younger, I do not subscribe to them now. I don't harbour any ill will towards the church as I think the people had good intentions. I simply think that the members were misinformed.

I believe that depression is of biological origin. There is an impairment in the brain. Some people have a predisposition towards the illness based on their brain chemistry alone. That being said, I think that the environment mixed with brain chemistry has a lot to do with whether or not the disease shows itself.

I was encouraged last year when I met with a pastor to discuss my battle with depression. I was somewhat cynical about the meeting, but desperate enough to try and get better, so I went through with it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was understanding of the nature of the illness and its biological origins. It was the polar opposite experience of my upbringing. As such, I am more optimistic now that the church is recognizing mental illness for what it is.