In Depth:  depression

Dave Burke

The Daily Telegraph recently featured a ten-year-long study of 500 Anglican clergy revealing that 41 per cent felt demoralised, 40 per cent felt isolated, and 35 per cent showed signs of possible mild clinical depression^[1].

It should be no surprise; Christian ministry is psychologically demanding.

Alistair Chalmers

There are moments in the Christian life when faith feels sturdy and sure, and others when it feels as thin as glass. Prayers seem to fall flat. Scripture feels dry. Christian music maybe doesn’t lift your heart as it once did.

For many Christians these seasons can be unsettling, even frightening. We can wonder whether something has gone wrong with our faith, or worse, with us.

Dave Burke

Please note: This article contains reference to attempted suicide and mental distress. For help and support, see the bottom of this page.

I ran downstairs to answer the doorbell and found a paramedic waiting, his ambulance on the road behind him with its engine still running.

Mitch Chase

Near the end of Book Three in Psalms (which is from Pss. 73–89), things grow dark. In fact, when you enter Psalm 88, you feel like you’re in a room so dark that you can’t see your hand in front of your face.

Suffering can feel like that. Some trials feel so overwhelming, so disorienting, that the language of Psalm 88 fits them. The psalmist embodies the agonies and despair that a believer can experience in a fallen world. Don’t let anyone tell you that a real believer would never feel overwhelmed and despondent. Psalm 88 would beg to differ!

Howard Satterthwaite

In recent years, many of us have become more aware of the toll that emotional, spiritual, and mental struggles can take.

Christian leaders, of course, are not immune. In fact, some of us are quietly limping through discouragement, or even depression, while still seeking to lead with strength and clarity.

Sharon Stirman

The rise of anxiety and depression in teenagers is undeniable and evident for all to see.

Teenagers live in a modern, fast-paced world with access to 24-hour news, social media, TV, and gaming. They navigate pressures from peers, school, and even family – all of which can be contributing factors to depression and anxiety.

Dave Burke

Olivia was 16 years old and wouldn’t go to school. It began a couple of years before when she started feeling anxious and those feelings grew until they ruled her life.

Everyone feels anxious some of the time, but Olivia struggled all the time. Her fear had a savage intensity that only subsided when she shut herself away in her room.