Feeling Blue
Toyin,
How do I know the difference between just having “the blues” and being truly depressed? If there is a difference that is. Is it a must that I go to a doctor or are there specific signs I can look for to know which one it is? Not self-diagnosis but just a guided diagnosis. Most importantly was there depression in Bible times if you know, and how did people deal with it?
Folashadé
Hey Folashade,
You bring a very good question to the table. What is the difference between “the blues” and actual depression? To the depth of my knowledge, the phrase “the blues” is used for sadness that is temporary in nature. Let me explain both with an example…
Lola’s cousin was supposed to come spend Christmas with her and she had been expecting this visit for 6 months; on the very day he was to arrive, he called to say he couldn’t come for some reason beyond his control but would come for sure next month. Lola became sad, after all she spent the whole week cooking and planning and shopping and preparing and telling all her friends about his coming. Now if she got sad for a few days, maybe even cried once or twice, it is safe to say she was “blue” but if she cried everyday for months, refused to get out of bed, wouldn’t shower for weeks, didn’t answer the door or phone, wouldn’t go out with friends, refused to eat, contemplated suicide…. (You get the picture) then it is safe to say, she was experiencing depression. Do you see the difference? Being sad is supposed to be proportionate to the situation in intensity and duration, but when someone is sad beyond proportion and for a very long time (usually beyond 6 months), it is becoming depression.
Was there depression in biblical times? I would tend to think so; after all since the fall of man, we have lived in a sinful and wicked world. I actually had to ask someone I respect in the Lord for help on finding an example but here’s a possible one. Let’s look at the story of Jacob after he was told that Joseph was “dead”. In Genesis 37 vs 35 he said “And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning”(NKJV)…Thankfully, God did not allow Jacob to mourn to his grave and blessed him with a reunion with his beloved son Joseph but if Jacob stayed true to his word, living in sackcloth and ashes and refusing to be comforted for the remaining of his days, it would be safe to say he was clinically depressed. I believe that those who knew God, whether depressed or merely sad, sought him through every tragedy for his mercy, compassion and loving kindness
Stay blessed
T.
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