Psychiatry

[brody196]

I wish I wold have never started taking the anti-depressant Zoloft for anxiety issues. I started the drug almost 10 years ago and tried several times to quit, but had some of the worst symptoms I could have ever imagined...Nightmarish stuff. Maybe one day I will be able to stop taking the meds....Pray for me.

[steve]

Brother Brody,

I don't know much about anti-anxiety meds, but is it impossible for your doctor to "wean' you from them by slightly diminishing the dosages over time?

[IsaacJ]

I definitely agree these are difficult issues and probably not 'one-size-fits all.' Just thought I'd share my brief experience while we're on the subject.

In high-school and early college I struggled a ton with depression, definitely battled feelings of not wanting to live and the manic highs and lows. I've even been to a doctor who said I had a chemical issue that caused it (I haven't had time to research whether or not this can even be valid.) Anyways, I had some Christian brothers call me out on how I was being self-focused and not trusting God...this of course made me angry..but in my case they were truly right. As I repented from a self-focus and got my mind onto the Lord and serving others the depression went away. I still feel tempted towards it sometimes, but now it almost serves as a warning sign that I'm getting selfish again instead of focusing on loving the Lord and others. I can truly say I haven't been in it now for a good 10 years or so. Truly He keeps in perfect peace the mind that is stayed on Him (Is.26:3.) Whenever I feel that peace leave I know my mind is somewhere other than stayed on Him.

I've thought many times that perhaps a temporary medication is a means of grace to make it easier for some to get back on track. Maybe it lightens the load for some so they can be encouraged to shift focus. Either way, i think it's important to remember 2 Peter 1:3...His divine power has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness...on the chance we can't get medication or it's not available to us or doesn't help us...the Holy Spirit is always giving us what we need. If we abandon this trust we miss out on the blessing God gives as we walk in faith (Heb.11:6.)

Hope that encourages someone. I'm sure there are numerous different scenarios and issues, but I'm constantly amazed in my life and others' that repentance and obedience solve so many problems. May the Lord comfort you and lead you and show you what He knows best if you're suffering with this!

[steve]

Great testimony! Thanks for sharing it!

[brody196]

Brother Brody,

I don't know much about anti-anxiety meds, but is it impossible for your doctor to "wean' you from them by slightly diminishing the dosages over time?

Hey Brother Steve!

My Doctor could do that, but there would still be withdrawal symptoms, although not nearly as bad as if you tried to quit cold turkey...Which I unfortunately did a few times...

[RickC]

These testimonies are encouraging...(I thank all who have shared too!) - Amen!

Hey Brody -

Just For FYI (really helpful info) -
PAWS (Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome)
(and)
Post-Acute Withdrawal.

I was given the above information about 2 weeks after I sobered up by a Christian A&D counseIor. I got off alcohol cold turkey, having been an alcoholic. Just knowing that, as my body and mind adjusted back to being normal, that some of these symptoms may happen, really helped me to 'ride out the storm'. At times, I got pretty paranoid and other weird stuff - BUT - I recognized that it was just PAWS. I made sure to talk with folks and with God, asking for help (as I was wisely advised to do)!

Your doctor may have information about PAWS (these days one would think so). However, from what I understand, many do not know much about addictions recovery. Suggest: talk with your doctor about PAWS and come up with a plan.

GOD helped me more than anyone! as I didn't experience really "bad" initial DTs (delirium tremens, aka, "the shakes"). The first 3 days were the worse, and after a couple more weeks I had a marked improvement overall. From then I had PAWS symptoms from time to time for about a year and a half. But their endurance usually didn't last long. Knowing what was going on (that I wasn't going *NUTS*....kept me from going, well, (you know) *NUTS*).

Though it got "rough" at times, I felt really GOOD knowing that I was doing what's right - and that GOD was there with me - as He so TOTALLY was!!!

With the Lord's help, you can do it, brother!
I'll be praying for you!

[TheEditor]

Greetings,

This is one of the few areas in which I disagree with our brother Steve. Having been an eyewitness of mental illness my entire life, I can assure anyone on the fence, that the brain is indeed a complex organ, more so than any other in God's marvelous creation, and as such, it can be damaged. This has been demonstrated in the cases, most famously, of Romanian children in orphanages that were denied the most basic and fundamental of human needs--that of love. These children were "messed up" to use the common vernacular. As adolescents and adults, they were crippled emotionally by not having what humans need on an emotional level. Science has proved this in the study of feral children as well. Having said this, let me share a personally observed account.

I was a friend of a Christian man who had devoted himself to missionary work. He had been diagnosed as bipolar, manic depressive with psychotic tendancies. He thrived for years in his ministry with the assistance of lithium. As a result, he led a productive life. Unfortunately, as is the tendancy for people with problems of mania, he decided one day that he didn't need his meds. He subsequently burned down his house, drove his car to excessive speeds on the highway, was involved in an accident and died. Clearly, he would have been better served had he stayed on meds.

We all tend to view life (as my cousin likes to say) through our own "fun house mirror". Perhaps, to our self-confessed "Vulcan" ambassador for Christ (brother Steve) psychotropic meds are unnessecary. But perhaps, just perhaps, this is Steve's view, because he hasn't had this particular cross to bear. A persons thyroid gland can be slightly deficient, in such a way as to avoid detection. The same may be said of levels of seretonin and norepinephrine (only two of the many trace chemicals) in the brain.

In addition to this, I am not so certain that we as Christians have quite the same fight with the spirit realm that was once present in the world. I do believe that a person can be harassed be demons, but I believe that this comes more from poking around where one aught not, as opposed to perhaps the greater free reign that such entities enjoyed prior to Christ's manifestation and binding of Satan. But this is perhaps off topic. I merely mention it as an aside that we may give to much credit to the devil and his minions, where as natural processes may be taking place that we as of yet have not fully apprehended.

Regards, Brenden.

[Singalphile]

All I can testify to is that it is impossible for someone like me to relate to the idea of crippling depression/anxiety. It's hard or impossible to imagine the inability to control my own thoughts and feelings. I suppose that is because I think of my thoughts and feelings as being the real me, separate from any external, physical thing outside of my control.

So, it's tempting for me to think that a person with clinical depression (whatever that is) is not trying hard enough or has a lack of character or maturity or isn't praying and meditating on good things enough and so on. I resist that temptation.

Nonetheless, I sure have questions. It's a mystery to me.

Edit: Also, those poems of Erik's in this thread remind me of the Psalms. Maybe David suffered from depression.
Edit 2: Yeah, search for "King David and depression" and you get plenty of hits.

[morbo3000]

I want to make myself available in personal messages to anyone who suffers from depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or addictions or any other personal pain that has not lent itself to spiritual solutions. I myself have bipolar disorder and suffer from swings of depression and psychosis. I bear the consequences of years of unconfessed sin and the resultant guilt, the personal betrayal by loved ones. I take meds daily, pray daily, am in fellowship with a large number of believers, and am a fervent student of the word. I recently went through an encounter weekend where I confessed sins, and nailed bondages from my past to a wooden cross, followed by burning those sins, praise and worship and a time of prophetic ministry that affirmed that though my life has been broken and sinful, God is not done with me yet.

The mind, soul and spirit are complicated and intertwined. If you are suffering, there may be many reasons, and not all of them spiritual, despite other's claims. Don't suffer unnecessarily. Seek God. Pray. Fellowship. Study the world. And intelligently avail yourself to medical solutions if necessary. Don't take others' words for it, whether they be pharmicists or Christians. But if you are suffering, you may believe yourself unworthy to feel Ok. You are worthy. If you need help, feel free to message me personally. I won't be engaging this issue in this thread.