You Can Find Joy in a Depressing World!

MARIE has a bright, cheerful disposition. It is hard to believe that just a few years ago, this 32-year-old woman described herself as being dead inside. Marie had been a victim of serious depression. “It was like a big dark cloud that gradually lifted,” she explains. Yes, happily she recovered and regained her joy.

Each year a hundred million persons worldwide are crippled with severe depression! This disorder is not a mere passing blue mood that most of us experience from time to time. Severe depression involves an unrelenting gloominess. The depressed person loses interest in life, finds no pleasure in anything, and has feelings of general hopelessness and worthlessness. In 1983 the World Health Organization stated: “There is at present little doubt that depressive disorders occur in all parts of the world.”

Careful Bible students are not surprised at this report. The Bible identifies our time as “the last days,” characterized by “critical times hard to deal with.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Social structures that in the past lent support in times of emotional crisis have deteriorated. In the article “The Age of Melancholy?”, Dr. Gerald Klerman attributes the current increase of depression to this change. He explains: “The three most common social support systems have been the family, the church, and the immediate neighborhood. . . . It is a characteristic of the present time that all three of those social support systems are in various degrees of disarray.”

It was the disruption of Marie’s family that led to her despair. “When my stepmother left without a word, I felt betrayed and alone. I was 12 years old, and suddenly my world seemed upside down,” recalls Marie. Shortly afterward she had to leave home because her father made immoral advances toward her, and she admits: “I felt abnormal, and I lost all confidence in myself.” Thus began her plunge into serious depression.

One day when Marie was extremely depressed, two of Jehovah’s Witnesses called at her home. Immediately she showed great interest in their cheerful Bible message. “Previously, I saw just the utter uselessness of life and so many ugly things, but now I became convinced that I could live in a new world where God would correct all these injustices. With God’s help I could qualify for such a blessing; thus, my life took on real meaning.” As she attended the meetings of the Witnesses, she found genuine love and emotional support. (John 13:34, 35) The skillful counseling of the congregation elders also helped her begin to change her negative thinking. (James 5:14) Her depression began to subside. Multitudes of other people who, like Marie, are depressed by world conditions have found “the joy of Jehovah” by coming to an accurate knowledge of Bible truth.​—Nehemiah 8:10; 1 Timothy 2:4.

Yet, did Marie’s depression instantly clear up? Should we assume that Christians are immune to depression? To answer these questions, we must take more than a superficial look at this disorder and its complex causes. Knowing the real roots of depression can make you more successful in dealing with it in yourself or in helping someone afflicted with it.

The Roots of Severe Depression

In some cases depression has physiological causes, such as disease, nutritional deficiencies, and hormonal problems. It may also be a reaction to some toxins, pollutants, medications, and allergens.a However, the Bible reveals that one’s own “disquieting thoughts” also may be a cause.​—Psalm 94:19.

Most people who become depressed, like Marie, have encountered a number of painfully unpleasant experiences or stressful situations. Many feel like the psalmist: “My soul has had enough of calamities . . . They have closed in upon me all at one time. You [Jehovah] have put far away from me friend and companion; my acquaintances are a dark place.” (Psalm 88:3, 17, 18) So like the psalmist, they feel overwhelmed by problems or losses and view their life in general as hopeless. They may feel as if they were all alone in a dark place and that even God has cast them off.

Why do they reach such a discouraging conclusion, in effect developing a stricken spirit? It is not just because of their external problems; it is also due to painful feelings or misgivings about themselves. They feel inadequate to deal with the problem or loss. “Because of the pain of the heart there is a stricken spirit,” explains Proverbs 15:13. Such pain of heart would include feeling that one is a failure or that others think so. Even the first-century Christian Epaphroditus, after recovering from a serious illness during a mission arranged by his home congregation, became “depressed because [the congregation] heard he had fallen sick.”​—Philippians 2:25-30.

Since ‘a stricken spirit makes the bones dry,’ or undermines one’s very being, feelings of low self-esteem are often at the root of serious depression. (Proverbs 17:22) Pain of heart might also be brought on by too great a concern about how others view us, perfectionism, unresolved anger, resentment, unsettled conflicts with others, or guilt (real or exaggerated).

So the causes of serious depression are many. Yet, Marie found real joy after becoming a Christian. “I then had hope,” she said. But for some time she still had to endure depression. How can such persons eventually overcome it?

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