“Psalm 88 is the darkest of the Psalms and, as such, there have been times when I have found not only that it uniquely gives voice to the way I feel but that it uniquely gives me a little hope, for, despite the Psalmist’s frame of mind, his faith is evidenced by his calling out to the “God of my salvation.” In this Psalm there is “no light at the end of the tunnel.” At the end the Psalmist is still in the dark waiting for God to do something.”
I do not know if “darkness is my only friend” is the correct translation of Psalm 88:18 (the ESV gives “darkness is my only companion” as an alternative translation). But I do understand the feeling.
Psalm 88 is the darkest of the Psalms and, as such, there have been times when I have found not only that it uniquely gives voice to the way I feel but that it uniquely gives me a little hope, for, despite the Psalmist’s frame of mind, his faith is evidenced by his calling out to the “God of my salvation.” In this Psalm there is “no light at the end of the tunnel.” At the end the Psalmist is still in the dark waiting for God to do something. And, since what he was experiencing in the now is what he had experienced from his youth onward, we do not know if he ever experienced deliverance from his afflictions and and feelings of despair. Perhaps he continued to struggle until he departed this vale of tears and awoke to find that “in your presence there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).
I know what depression feels like. It feels like being a dark hole with no way out. It can actually feel better to get past irritability to isolation, past panic to resignation, past fighting to giving up.
Then what about the psychological aspect?
That is, IF there is aspect of humanness that psychiatrists and psychologists can deal with and is distinct from the spiritual (contra the “nouthetic” approach). It’s not so simple, especially if you are a di- not tri- chotomist. (Some believe man consists of a complex of body and soul/spirit while others believe that he is a complex of body and soul and spirit.) “Psychology” means “knowledge of the soul,” the word “psyche” being the Greek word for “soul.”
Dr. Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, has along with otherz debunked the classic Freudian psychoanalytic explanation of depression as “anger turned inward.” And, he does not have much confidence in the medical approach, believing medical treatments are both overused and of limited effect. His understanding of depression is that it is a result of “learned helplessness.” Learned helpless results from a “pessimistic explanatory style” which is often developed in childhood in response to painful events and the way parents tend to interpret life.
Animals exposed to pain, which they have no way of escaping, eventually give up and become depressed. His research has shown that something similar happens with humans who explain bad events in terms that are personal (it’s my fault), permanent (it will always be this way), and pervasive (this undermines my whole life). The more pessimistic your explanatory style the less likely you are to bounce back from the down emotions everyone experiences and the more likely depression will be ongoing and debilitating.
His treatment approach is cognitive and based on research that shows that people can learn to think differently, unlearning helplessness and learning optimism. With the psychotherapeutic understanding debunked, and with the medical approach having it limitations, the cognitive has gained favor. The current preferred treatment for depression is medication plus cognitive therapy.
What should we make of the apparent epidemic of depression since serious depression is debilitating and can lead to death? Why are people in the West, who live longer and more affluent lives than ever before, more depressed? Some argue that it is because there is so much more stress in modern life. But Seligman sees it differently. He thinks the increase in the percentage of the population that is depressed is related to (1) the rise of individualism (the big “I’), (2) the loss of community experienced in institutions such as family, church, neighborhood, and country (the “we”), and (3) the rise of the self-esteem movement. Other possible factors occur to me: (1) With regard at least to the milder forms of depression, it may be, as has happened with disorders like autism and attention-deficit disorder, that it is more frequently diagnosed and perhaps over diagnosed today. (2) It may be that we have the luxury of time and money to be depressed. When your family had to farm to eat or when your country had to fight for its survival you may not have had the time or money to be depressed.
Well, then, a few comments.
5. We delude ourselves thinking that every problem can be prevented or resolved. Some can. But some can’t. In our lives neither sin nor suffering is going to be eradicated in this world. We can fight against sin. We can mitigate suffering. But there is no victorious Christian life. We groan. The universe groans. We can be thankful that for most people depression is infrequent and soon passes. But for others depression is a black dog that always follows, sometimes at distance and sometimes nipping at the heels. Not infrequently the dog pounces, sinks its teeth into the flesh, and won’t let go. With depression we can use the means of grace, take the medicines, and try to change our pessimistic explanatory styles. But for some at least relief will come and joy arrive only when the eternal morning dawns.
Bill Smith is a minister in the Reformed Episcopal Church. He is a writer and contributor to a number of Reformed journals and resides in Roanoke, Va.. This article first appeared on his blog, The Christian Curmudgeon, and is used with permission.
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