Ties between Depression and loss of faith

United States
February 4, 2007 2:25pm CST
Do you think that the sudden surge in depression that has come up in our society has anything to do with the continual disappearance of faith and spirituality. I don't just mean christianity, but an overal lack of faith in general.
1 person likes this
1 response
wulfeyez
@wulfeyez (1)
• United States
5 Feb 07
I think we as a people, especially in the United States are in the process of reorganizing our belief structures. We no longer have to adhere to one faith and though it is not totally accepted, are free to choose our own path. The problem with this of course is the rest of life. Work, kids, taxes, the anoying neighbor. Everything else takes presidence over our faith, whatever that maybe. And yes, I would agree, not having or ignoring the presence of the devine, the power of belief and prayer - I believe it may help lead to depression, when having faith might save us. I just ended a cycle long cycle of depression myself. It was faith in God and faith in myself that pulled me through. A lesson someone I know inadventatly taught me on a Saturday late in September.:D I don't belive that not having faith is the root of depression. I belive we as a socity are more free to not supress ourselves and our negative emotions and therefore it leads to depression.
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jennybeans
@jennybeans (912)
• United States
5 Feb 07
That's an interesting take on it, wulfy. So it's almost like the fact that we have so much freedom of expression bars us from expressing how we really feel. Negative emotions unshed and hashed over again and again lead us into a state of depression. I do think that there is a tie to lacking faith in a lot of my own depression. When I would come down to the bottom of the barrel and start slopping in the muck, it would suddenly occur to me that I had been full of doubt, or I had been lacking in spiritual connection.