[Laceratus]

Hey, i'll just come on here and say you are all right...you just are not on the same strands of the rope. Obviously sin is the originol cause of depression (I am talking Adam here) but it is also a chemical imbalance. EVERYONE struggles from depression, some of it is just deeper than others. It does not always depend on the status of your relationship with God (Job, David, etc. all had both) It could be just hormonal imbalances at different times...that is just my opinion...

[Travis]

Originally posted by Roring Lams
EVERYONE struggles from depression, some of it is just deeper than others.

Not true. Everyone feels down and bad at times but most do not become clinically depressed.

[passinthru]

Originally posted by Travis
Not true. Everyone feels down and bad at times but most do not become clinically depressed.

yup and what many people call depression is in fact just a down day or bad mood. Depression has physical and emotional symptoms.

Katie+

[Consumingfire]

ok, let me just jump in and state one thing...
Nate, you said earlier that you had never heard of anyone going in to see if they had depression and coming out with a negative result...
Ok, a while back i was really donw and to this day i still do get very very down at times, but the first thing everyone did when they found out i was down was tell me to go see a docter and gt checked for depression....
So i think yeah sometimes people have down days..
And i also think SOME NOT ALL are a little quik to jump on the depression band wagon...
BUT some people as well really do have it....
I think both of you guys are right, i think nate is right and the point he is trying to prove is that nothing is done without God's letting it be, and if God didnt want you to be healed from depression then he could make the medication not work... ya know... So faith does have a BIG role in this, and yes you do have to believe that when you take this pill for depression that it will work.... and why will it work you ask?? Because God let it...
But katie is trying to point out is that, there are people who have faith in God and who are REALLY depressed and REALLY suffer from depression and need medical treatment... They need the pills to cure the medical desease....
But one question for you katie, if God gives people the desease dont you think he can take it away??
So yes i do lean towards nates side of the argument with this one..
But i do see your side of it to katie....
Much love in christ..
Gabe

[Nate]

Originally posted by Consumingfire
i think nate is right and the point he is trying to prove is that nothing is done without God's letting it be, and if God didnt want you to be healed from depression then he could make the medication not work

Exactly!

if God gives people the desease dont you think he can take it away??

Exactly!

God is in control, whether we like it or not. There is nobody in this world that is depressed because God messed up. God allows depression to happen, and He has total power to end all of it. (I know this probably angers and confuses you, Katie... feel free to PM me again)

[Laceratus]

Originally posted by Travis
Not true. Everyone feels down and bad at times but most do not become clinically depressed.

That is actually what I meant...but thanks for clarifying that Travis.
Not everyone has clinical depression...but everone get depressed...okay, depressed may not be the right word...what Katie said on her last post is what I am considering depression, though it is not really depression. maybe I'll just shut up because I am repeating my own incomrehensible ramblings.

[passinthru]

Originally posted by KeyboardFreak
God is in control, whether we like it or not. There is nobody in this world that is depressed because God messed up. God allows depression to happen, and He has total power to end all of it. (I know this probably angers and confuses you, Katie... feel free to PM me again)

Yeah you're right Nate it does make me mad. It bugs me that a god who is supposed to be love would allow this to happen. Because depression is awful. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

I'm upset. Upset that I can't communicate what I want to. Upset that you guys don't understand depression. Upset that there even has to be a thread like this in the first place. Upset at a world with pain and suffering. Upset that I'm not the only one who does struggle with suicidal thoughts and cutting and is depressed. Upset because I don't know how to explain to you what this is like and why we choose the coping methods that we do. Cause on screen it looks so black and white it looks so easy to see that cutting is not letting God be in control and that it's us trying to fix things ourselves. What I can't show you is the torment we go through. I can't show you the guilt and the pain and the shame that drives us. I can't show you what it's like to be me. I wish I could so that you could maybe understand where we are coming from.

What the screen can't show is how the lack of the right chemicals in our brains makes dealing with normal doubts and feelings so very hard. The screen can't show our guilt over how we cope with cutting. It can't show the scars internal and external. It can't show you how we are condemned for how we've survived.

WOuld you rather we had killed ourselves rather than cut? Because I know for me that was the only option. I first started cutting after I was attmepting to slit my wrists and didn't have something shapr enough to cut deep enough. BUt the pain fomr the cuts I could make helped for a few hours. And so it starts.

Katie+

[Consumingfire]

Katie,
Did i offend you in any way? Cuz i didnt mean too if i did you know that.. right??

Upset that you guys don't understand depression.

Katie we do understand depression, but it's from a distance, your right we dont understand depression like you do...
Why? Because we dont have it.... why? I dont know, because of Gods mercy on me i guess...( and that's not to say he doesnt have mercy on you katie..)

Upset that there even has to be a thread like this in the first place.

Why? why are you So upset about there being a thread like this...??? It would be like me saying "I am upset because there is a thread on Acne, and if it is Gods curse on the people who have it..." Ok, we all have something in one way or another that we suffer from... Ok, Acne is a desease, and ya know what it is pretty embarissing at times to talk about it, and you cant hide it, everyone knows you have it.... It beats on your self confidance it beats on what you think others think of you because of it...
I could really tear myself appart mentally with trying to blame God and be mad at him for giving me the desease acne... But i am not...
Ok so everybody has there "Desease" in one way or another...
Gabe

[Nate]

Originally posted by passinthru
Yeah you're right Nate it does make me mad. It bugs me that a god who is supposed to be love would allow this to happen. Because depression is awful. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Why does a loving God allow suffering? This is one of the hardest questions the human race has ever dared to try to answer. Honestly, I don't even know how to begin to answer it. This is one of those things that, I believe, are so far beyond our mortal minds that we will not (and can not) ever fully understand them.

One thing we must remember is that God does a whole lot more for us than simply allow us to suffer. After all, if it were not for His grace, we'd all be headed to hell [eternal suffering].... with no possible way of escape. However, God, out of His amazing mercy and love for us, reached down out of heaven and offered us a chance to escape that suffering. I encourage you to take a look at the "big picture" here. Think about eternity, think about how long it is going to be, think about how wonderful heaven is going to be. Now compare the glory of heaven with the sufferings of earth. I find that any amount of suffering we may encounter on this earth becomes insignificant when compared to the glory and joy we will experience for all eternity with God.

Of course, this is not to say that earthly suffering is altogether insignificant. It is obviously something that we all struggle with and we all have to deal with almost every day. Thankfully, when Jesus stepped down out of heaven, He not only gave us a way to escape eternal suffering, but also a way to cope with the torture of earthly suffering.

Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In times of need, we can take comfort in the fact that our Lord can sympathize with every weakness we have and every struggle we face. Think about it this way: He faced the ultimate suffering for us so we could have hope to get through our own personal sufferings. Come boldly to His throne, fall at His feet, and let Him pour His love and mercy down upon you.

I can't show you the guilt and the pain and the shame that drives us. I can't show you what it's like to be me. I wish I could so that you could maybe understand where we are coming from.

Nor can I show you the guilt and the pain and the shame that I keep hidden inside. There are things that I have done that I wish so much that I could take back and do over. Don't think for a second that depression is the only suffering that people endure. Like Gabe said, we all have our own "diseases" that we deal with. But no matter what it is that you are struggling with, God knows your pain, and He knows how much you can bear. He's in control, and He is not about to let one of His children suffer without the hope of ever triumphing over the suffering.

I'll post this verse again, because I think it really sums up the hope we have as Christians.

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

In His love,
Nate

[passinthru]

Originally posted by KeyboardFreak
But no matter what it is that you are struggling with, God knows your pain, and He knows how much you can bear. He's in control, and He is not about to let one of His children suffer without the hope of ever triumphing over the suffering.

really? casue it sure feels that way today.

Katie+

I'm jumping in and replying to some of the comments on the first page - that depression is created by people being told they are depressed. In fact it works the other way: knowing your life seems bad because of the haze of depression instead of thinking that it is actually as completeley awful as it presently seems helps offer hope and keep you from the brink. That's my experience anyhows.

K

[Brandon]

Ok,
I am just sitting here h\reading all this stuff,
After about halfway through the first page, I skipped the rest and just decided to reply...

For those who have ever been "cutters", they know how it feels, you are struggling just to live from day to day without bashing your head agaisnt the wall...and the easiest way is to cut yourself
*looks at the vicious slash marks only a few days old on his wrists*

you just can't let go of the depression by getting a little hug, or a big smile...it just doesn't work...these cuts on my wrists expresses my pain and hurt that has welled up inside...I can't release it otherwise. no, screaming and punching things doesn't help...

I also want to back up all katie has said on the first page...that's what it's relly like....

I'm upset. Upset that I can't communicate what I want to. Upset that you guys don't understand depression. Upset that there even has to be a thread like this in the first place. Upset at a world with pain and suffering. Upset that I'm not the only one who does struggle with suicidal thoughts and cutting and is depressed. Upset because I don't know how to explain to you what this is like and why we choose the coping methods that we do.

see? another part of our "problem" is that everyone else on this world who has not experinced it DOES NOT UNDERSTAND!!!!(yes i am angry)

Katie we do understand depression, but it's from a distance, your right we dont understand depression like you do...

That's why i am getting angry....quit trying to understand and explain what you have never experienced, and start just praying the ones whom are depressed...

I'm running out of time here, so i'll let this go for now...

(katie, pm me, I need to talk to you about what we have been talking about...you know)

BLESS!!

Brandon

[passinthru]

Originally posted by Brandon
For those who have ever been "cutters", they know how it feels, you are struggling just to live from day to day without bashing your head agaisnt the wall...and the easiest way is to cut yourself
*looks at the vicious slash marks only a few days old on his wrists*

yeah it is the easy way out because I know that the thought of turning to God is so hard and so painful. yet when we are a little bit up we do need to do that and strengthen ourselves in God so that when we are down again we have faith to fall back on...it's not easy I know.

you just can't let go of the depression by getting a little hug, or a big smile...it just doesn't work...these cuts on my wrists expresses my pain and hurt that has welled up inside...I can't release it otherwise. no, screaming and punching things doesn't help...

you're right brandon. and that's when God has to be bigger than our pain. I don't know yet of a healthy way to release the pain, I don't know how to do it without hurting those around me or hurting myself.

(katie, pm me, I need to talk to you about what we have been talking about...you know)

PM sent.

hang in there and to those of you reading this please stop and pray for Brandon.

and please don't bash him, if you need to bash someone bash me ok? cause i have had it before and can deal with it again.

Katie+

[Oddjob]

I agree with you totaly Brandon and, I am praying for you!!!

[audiopunkgirl]

no one else knows about my si


i'm in theatre and i can cover it up


but the fact that i do other physically taxing activites helps (i can say i got hurt in a game)



i'm not a cutter






i take a hair pin, hold it over a match/lighter/candle/fire and stick it on my skin when its really hot.




i use the inside part of my elbow, the nice fleshy soft part.


but i'll tell you why i do it.





when things get real bad, i start to feel like someones put cotton in my ears, i cant recognize peoples efforts to cheer me up as that, i dont hear anything but the intense noise inside my own head.



when i put that hairpin to my arm, i hear this satisfying pop and all the sudden, the cotton in my ears is gone, i can see that Jesus is the way.



the only other way i've found this can be accomplished is with the mutilation of someone else....


for me, its either hurt me or hurt them, and up until this year, i always chose to hurt them, but i've taken up si, its safer, i dont get in trouble so much, and only i get hurt, not both of us.