When I was younger and just diagnosed my family treated me really bad and told me that if I had prayed hard enough I would be better. It really hurt me because I am a christian and love my Savior. I tend to look more at it like whatever happens to me God will help me through it but he doesn't seem to stop the struggles just because you love him, he helps you through them. Hope that makes sense. Hugs.

There is a spiritual depression that is taken care of by religion and scriptures. However there is also a clinical depression that not only needs help from the Scriptures but professional medical help. This is what I have. We have seen the physical results. So when it comes to depression it is a balance of spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional. Most depressions are not recovered by just one aspect of the four possibilities. It does bother me when someone says that I only need to be in church and read the Bible and then my depression will go away. God provided professional help, meds, and pastors to help us recover from our depression.

YES!!! There is absolutely nothing wrong with religion. Ok, to each their own! I'm a lesbian though and have always felt somewhat abandoned or shunned by religion (not God necessarily but religious people). I don't know how to answer people who say that my answers lie in prayer because if it worked for them then that's great but I've tried it and it's not for me. I agree that it's sort of like I'm just having these issues because I don't love God enough and when I was younger it made me wonder if I felt like shit just because God didn't love me.

Having grown up (a little) I've realized that people recommend prayer because that's how they found their answers but just because they found an answer there doesn't mean there's something wrong with me finding my own answer somewhere else. does that make sense?

Stormiegirl I am also a Baptist and I truly believe in the wonders and miracles of God, and I know it sounds horrible, but sometimes God's time just doesn't seem fast enough. How long do I have to keep suffering, going through emotions like a roller coaster and not knowing when it will stop? I know I have to keep fighting. I know I have to stick with God. But it can still be so frustrating and tiring! Even when things start to look up for a little bit, I get slammed with another huge wave of depressing emotions or anxiety or I can't and don't want to eat, and I just get so exhausted by it all! Sometimes it feels like God has given up on me, or I'm last on some sort of waiting list of His.

That's great but in my experience in the Methodist or Baptist Church mental health is shyed away from. They are so judgemental too. I know you have to have an active prayer life but there's more to a cure than prayer if it was that simple there would be people coming to Christ in droves. I think an active prayer life, meds, therapeutic exercise, and meditation is the best way to get healthy. That's just my opinion