Is Depression a Spiritual Issue?

“Is depression a spiritual issue?” is one of the most difficult questions someone can ask. “Depression is not a spiritual issue,” is not always the case, but my response is it is the same with this erroneous statement. It can be true in some aspects but to generalize that is a false claim.

There is a lot of debate as to whether depression is a spiritual issue or a brain issue. Well, I think it depends. It is not always that chemical imbalances in the brain cause mental illness. The circumstances and situations we find ourselves in can influence us a lot. The brain is still a mystery to many experts.

Consider what Ed Welch (M.Div., Ph.D., a Biblical Counselor) makes about several areas where depression can be a spiritual issue. He makes some more detailed and searching suggestions. He asks:
“Do you see any of these things in your life?

If you made someone besides God the center of your life, and you lose him or her, you will feel isolated and without purpose. Can you see how this can give way to depression? You made another person your reason for living and now, without him or her, you feel hopeless and unable to go on. You may not realize it, but the Bible tells us that this is idol worship—you are worshipping what God created instead of him.

If you feel like you failed in the eyes of other people, and your success and the opinions of others is of critical importance, you can slip into depression. Can you see the spiritual roots? Your success and the opinions of others have become your gods, they are more important to you than serving Christ.

If you feel like you did something very wrong, and you want to manage your sin apart from the cross of Jesus, depression is inevitable. We always want to believe that we can do something—like feeling really bad for our sins—but that is just pride. We actually think that we can pay God back, but this attitude minimizes the beauty of the cross and Jesus’ full payment for sin.

If you are angry and don’t practice forgiveness, you can easily slide into depression. The simple formula is sadness + anger = depression. What makes us angry shows us what we love and what rights we hold dear. Unforgiveness shows us that we are not willing to trust God to bind up our broken hearts and to judge we justly. Deal with your sadness and anger by pouring your heart out to God. Use the psalms as your prayers. Ask for faith so that you can trust God to be your defender and your helper.”