Depression

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> aside what we think is being careful.  I wonder if common sense would
> have allowed the three Hebrew boys to step into the fire, or another to
> step out on water with the Lord!

Obeying the LORD in defiance of the king was an act of FAITH.

Putting your seatbelt on before driving, or looking both ways
before crossing the street, or throwing out the green gross
stuff in the back of the refrigerator are acts of being
CAREFUL.

Refusing the doctor's ministrations when my infant son is
seriously ill is quite likely MURDER.  And that very well
might be the case for severely depressed people who are
advised by well-meaning people to discontinue their anti-
depressant medication.  Untreated severely depressed
individuals have a 50% mortality rate from suicide.

If I have a medical condition which can be treated I will
probably follow the advice of my phsycian and take the
medications prescribed to me.  I will also go before the elders
at the church and ask for prayer and have them lay hands on me.

Mental illness is no different: they are medically treatable
illnesses, with research showing a very high likelihood of a
strong biological component.

For example, heart disease is very often accompanied by
depression, although other similarly traumatic/life threatening
conditions don't lead to severe depression.  This suggests a
link that is not merely "in the mind."

Other evidence: research shows a very high rate of recovery for
depressed patients on a anti-depressant medication.  Personal
counseling, group therapy, psychoanalytic counseling -- these
have the same effect as a placebo; i.e. they don't work.
Medication works, counseling doesn't work.

Anti-depressants are not Happy Pills -- they do not change the
mood of the person taking the medication like speed or cocaine
will.  In fact, they have zero effect on mentally healthy
people, and there is no illegal market for anti-depressants.
People with clinical severe depression are *always* feeling
"sad," and anti- depressants work by making these people feel
"normal."  Anti-depressants are not addictive.  They apparently
work by restoring the balance of certain neuro-transmitters in
the brain (most notably serotonin, though not all anti-
depressants work the same).

All antidepressants are equally effective, they just have
different side effects.   Different people also may respond
differently to the different medicines, just like some people
respond differently to different types of antibiotics.

As Brother Brown cautioned, be VERY SURE you are hearing from
the Lord when telling somebody to throw out their medication.
Make sure you are not merely speaking from your own biases
against medical treatment of mental illness.

Richard M.