LDS & Depressed: My Battle with Depression
“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25) Living with depression is tough. Living as a Mormon with depression is agonizing…until I realized I wasn’t alone. First I’d like to talk about exactly what depression is. Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, more than 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression. ( 1 ) A medical dictionary defines depression as “a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with daily life for weeks or longer.” ( 2 ) Real people who suffer from depression define it in the following ways: “Depression is a dark, inescapable place. It's like being locked in a room with no light, windows or door. It's so dark you can't even see your hands in front of your face let alone find a way out.” “It's like drowning ... except you can see everyone around you breathing.” “It’s more painful than any physical pain I've ever exper...