Christian Women and Depression

    

Seven million Christians in the US experience major depression each year. It is estimated that 106.8 million Christians attend church at least once or twice a month. The National Institute of Mental Health lists the prevalence of having a major depressive episode in 2017 at 7.1%. Being a Christian does not guarantee a lower risk of depression. Another study shows nearly one in six (15.6%) very religious American adults have been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime. This group is about 24% less likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who are moderately religious and 17% less likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who are nonreligious. WHY ARE CHRISTIANS DEPRESSED?

    I used to live in a small rural community. On every corner there was a church. For every large family group there was a church that goes back from generation to generation. Everyone knew the family you belonged to if not you personally. It was a die-hard Christian community. There was a secret though. Look into the eyes of the many God-fearing women and you would notice fixed dilated pupils. The majority of the women 30 and over were on antidepressants. After the age of 29, it was pretty much standard procedure to be prescribed something for depression. With such a large Christian population it would seem there would be no time for sadness for the saved. The women followed the Proverbs account of a Godly woman and taught the little ones in Sunday school to revel in being a great southern cook and housekeeper, Butttttttttt.    In small groups away from the Christian man, there were whispers of discontent mingled with the fear of missing heaven. Anger and confusion turned inward led to depression. The inability to say what's on their mind built up over time. I was privy to a post of a woman who was a part of the Quiversful Movement (an online community) and she said she was a closet alcoholic. Her inability or the overwhelming demand of being the perfect Christian wife, mother, and woman left her to find solace in being absent in life through drinking.

    Faith and depression have a connection in that religious women have a higher incidence of the condition. Clinical Depression is a medical issue. While women are more likely to get depressed than men, they don’t have what has been derisively termed as a “weak gene.”  The mistaken train of thought is that they are predisposed to be depressed because of their gender. But it’s true that they are twice as likely to become depressed, and the risk factor just balloons when they are deeply religious. 

1 in 8 women may experience depression at least once in their lifetime.

    In general, people of Jewish descent, Pentecostals, and those with no affiliation experience higher rates of depression than other religious groups. Religious affiliations were categorized into six groups: mainline Protestant (27 percent), conservative Protestant (59 percent), Pentecostal (4.2 percent), Catholic (2.4 percent), other religions (2.6 percent), and no affiliation (4.4 percent). The six-month prevalence of major depression among Pentecostals was 5.4 percent, compared with 1.7 percent for the entire sample. Even after psychosocial factors such as gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, negative life events, and social support were controlled for, the likelihood of major depression among Pentecostals was three times greater than among persons with other affiliations. 

    Can the demands of being a Godly Christian woman be leading to the large number of antidepressants being prescribed for these women? In Utah, there is a high incidence of antidepressant use by those women of the Mormon faith. Is there a link? Statistics indicate that 11% of women and 5% of men are taking antidepressants. I believe that total is low. Are Christian women trying to just get through their Christian lives? Surveys of alcohol use among African Americans point to the positive relationship between religious participation and abstaining from alcohol, for both women and men (Caetano and Herd 1984; Herd 1988; Herd and Grube 1996). 

    A strong commitment to religious values and church participation has been a significant component of family life for many African Americans. As the central pillar supporting the African American community, the black church provides spiritual, social, emotional, and economic resources (Lincoln and Mamiya 1990). Most African Americans are affiliated with Baptist denominations, which are characterized by a lack of tolerance for consuming alcohol (Herd 1996). In addition, African American women participate in religious activities to a higher degree than African American men (Taylor et al. 1999). Their high rate of abstention from is consistent with the norms of their religious denominations. Thus, African American women’s level of religious participation may serve a protective function, buffering them from higher rates of alcohol use. 

    Well, regular alcohol use is a no-no for Christians, but antidepressants are more acceptable. PLEASE do not take from this post that those needing medical help for depression and other mental illnesses should not seek help. PLEASE always seek help for any emotional difficulties you may be going through. Women within the Christian community may be using antidepressants just to make it through an existence that would cause any person to become depressed trying to always be a"superwoman."

    Women are more than likely to be prescribed antidepressants than men. 5.3% of the men and 9.8% of the women were prescribed at lest one antidepressant. As of 2023, around 24 percent of women in the United States reported currently having or being treated for depression, compared to 11 percent of men. Women are more than twice as likely as men to use antidepressants, and use among White women is at least double that of other races/ethnicities, according to a new analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics.

    Being able to talk about life as a Christian woman and all it entails should be a natural part of the Christian experience before it leads to alcoholism and other drug addictions. Be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

    Many Christian women may become depressed from the definition given of a Christian woman in the Bible. By biblical standards the woman has the role of being a wife and a mother, rearing godly children, and teaching her children in God's laws (Genesis 1:28; Proverbs 1:8; 6:20; 22:6; 23:22). She is expected to have habits such as prayer, reading the Bible, being thankful, being joyful, not worrying, being generous, living simpler lives, serving others, and having self-control. Her virtue shows as she strives steadfastly. All that she does through her work and her diligence are to insure that her family will not suffer in the future. Clothes, food, and shelter will be provided by her hard work, but she also realizes that there are other needs for the future in addition to material security. The ideal woman is a woman who is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

    A godly woman does not dress in public in ways ungodly, suggestive, slovenly, or slipshod. Her outer adornment reflects her inner demeanor. She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong (Proverbs 31:17). Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future (Proverbs 31:25).

There is a lot of pressure on the Christian woman to face life's obstacles with joy and smiles. But many of life's experiences bring forth tears. Not acknowledging or supressing emotions can lead to unwanted affects. Suppression gets held in the body and creates a host of downstream effects, including anxiety, depression, stress-related illness, all the way to substance abuse and suicide. Holding back your emotions can actually intensify them. A classic example of this involves anger. Many people believe it's better to tamp down anger than express it. But suppressing your anger means you don't address it, so it continues to build and seethe under your mask of calm.

    Why should you stop hiding your feelings? Although it may not feel comfortable or “safe” to express one's emotions, suppressing, suffocating or hiding feelings can harm one's mental health. It can lead to harmful behaviours such as using drugs, alcohol, food, or sex to numb any emotion. Moreover, suppressing emotions can manifest in physical symptoms like frequent headaches or stomach aches. These physical manifestations serve as reminders that the mind and body are intricately connected. When emotional distress is not addressed, it can take a toll on our overall health. 

    Emotions are physiological states that mobilize us for particular behaviors and communicate important information about our internal and external environments to ourselves and others. Anger mobilizes us to attack, and signals that a boundary, value, or rule has been violated. Fear mobilizes us to freeze or flee and signals threat or danger. Shame mobilizes us to hide and signals low social status. Guilt mobilizes us to make amends and signals remorse. Joy motivates us to approach and signals reward.

    Accepting and responding to an emotion entails noticing its presence (often, its physical presence in our body), softening our resistance to it, tuning into what it's trying to tell us, and using that information to inform (but not dictate) our behavior.The more we recognize, allow, and make space for our emotions, the greater tolerance we build for them. With greater tolerance, we're better able to modulate our emotions so they don't overwhelm our decision-making abilities or reason, or seem so unbearable that we have to suppress them. It may not always feel easy to respond rather than react to our emotions, but each time we try to do so, we get that much better at it. 

    ALWAYS seek professional help when you believe your emotions may be affecting your daily life and relationships negatively.

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