Depression is like being lost in a dark cave or a deep pit. The World Health Organization estimates that with the COVID-19 pandemic, the global rate of depression has increased to 25% of all people. While treatment is important, there are two ways that spirituality can support recovery from depression. Consider the important ways spirituality can support recovery from depression as you watch the following video. Thanks.
The following is a text version of this blog.
The World Health Organization announced that during the COVID-19 pandemic the global rate of depression increased by 25%. To be more specific, in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the rate of depression in the United States jumped from 8.5% of the population before the COVID-19 pandemic to 27.8% during the pandemic. As the pandemic evolves, it can be inferred that the numbers also evolve but they have not returned to a pre-pandemic level. Because this is a significant mental health issue, I find it to be important to consider depression and the role spirituality can play in helping people resolve this illness.
Lots of people misunderstand depression. They think that depression is the same as feeling sad or blue. Or that people with depression are lazy or weak. Or that depression isn’t really an illness. There are lots of myths about depression that make life much more difficult for those who are afflicted with depression.
When people are depressed, they don’t feel sad or blue. Essentially, they feel nothing. It’s sort of like being in a void or feeling like you’re underwater. When someone is depressed, their affect, their feelings and emotions, are depressed, that is pushed down and not accessible. They don’t feel happy or sad, good or bad. They feel empty like nothing’s there. It’s this kind of depressed emotional state that makes it difficult, even burdensome to do anything. Everything is an effort because there is no feeling associated with the activity. This becomes compounded by things that go with depression, like changes in sleep patterns as well as changes in eating.
What causes depression? There’s no clear answer to that question. But some things put a person at risk for depression. Genetics can put someone at risk, but so can difficult life experiences like abuse or trauma. Other diseases like coronary heart disease or cancer can be related to depression. So can giving birth or prolonged loneliness. In the various contexts that put a person at risk for depression, the chemistry of a person’s brain can go out of balance. In essence, the brain can begin to produce too much or too little of various chemicals that enable our emotions to work properly. That’s when depression occurs.
Of course, someone who is depressed needs to work with a mental health provider. Research demonstrates that the most effective way to manage depression is a combination of cognitive-based therapy, changing how you think, and medications designed to regulate brain chemistry. And spirituality is also very important. That’s not because someone should try to “pray away” depression, but rather, spirituality impacts how our brains function.
Research has shown that meditation increases the amount of serotonin in the brain. Many medications used to treat depression help to control the level of serotonin. Serotonin is sometimes called the happy chemical and is related to having a good mood and feeling positive about life.
Meditation lowers cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress chemical. It’s closely related to adrenalin. A lower cortisol level means you are more relaxed and at peace.
Meditation also increases the level of endorphins in your brain. Endorphins lead to an overall experience of wellbeing. Endorphins create what people sometimes call a runner’s high.
Meditation also boosts the production of melatonin, the sleep chemical. Many people with depression have disturbed sleep. Meditation can help with this as well.
Spiritual practice, particularly meditation, literally creates positive change for people with depression because the practice of meditation improves the chemistry of the brain.
In addition, I understand spirituality as a dimension of life through which we experience or discover meaning, purpose, and value in our lives. When someone is depressed, it’s difficult to find anything meaningful. Nurturing the spiritual dimension enables us to find meaning.
Of course, the nature of depression is that doing anything at all is a challenge. Nothing is appealing. It takes both support from others and dedication to one’s wellbeing to help resolve depression. Depression is different from one person to another. Some people have a period in life when they experience depression. Others seem to go through most of their lives living with depression. In either case, meditation and positive spiritual engagement can make life better when living with depression.