OPC'n
Puritan Board Doctor
Joe (Wannabee) gave this link to me for Piper's book When The Darkness Will Not Lift. It's a free download and thought it would be a good resource for others here on PB.
When The Darkness Will Not Lift...Piper
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PresbyDane
Puritanboard Doctor
Thanks for sharing
DMcFadden
Puritanboard Commissioner
Sarah, thanks for the useful Piper offering (love them free resources!).
It is interesting to muse on the interaction of providence, human sin, brain chemistry, and external circumstances in the phenomenon of depression. As a nurse, you know all too well the consequences of serotonin deficiencies in the human brain. Even if you can argue that sinful choices/reactions lead to the exacerbation of the brain chemistry, you are stuck with the question of what to do about it.
When we have a headache, we take Advil and thank God's providence for permitting us to live in an age when we have tools for coping that were unavailable to our ancestors. Diabetics take their insulin and thank the Lord for their needles. Are SSRIs and SNRIs really any different?
Frankly, in my pastoral experience and since working with seniors, I am painfully aware of the fact that the meds are only a small part of dealing with depression. Even the SSRIs and SNRIs don't "make you feel good," they merely take the edge off some of your depression so that you can constructively engage with the circumstantial, social, and spiritual issues. Books like those by Lloyd-Jones and Piper are welcome companions for those who find themselves strangely numb and disconnected. When I get through with some of my current reading, I want to tackle some of the Puritans who wrote on this theme as well.
It is interesting to muse on the interaction of providence, human sin, brain chemistry, and external circumstances in the phenomenon of depression. As a nurse, you know all too well the consequences of serotonin deficiencies in the human brain. Even if you can argue that sinful choices/reactions lead to the exacerbation of the brain chemistry, you are stuck with the question of what to do about it.
When we have a headache, we take Advil and thank God's providence for permitting us to live in an age when we have tools for coping that were unavailable to our ancestors. Diabetics take their insulin and thank the Lord for their needles. Are SSRIs and SNRIs really any different?
Frankly, in my pastoral experience and since working with seniors, I am painfully aware of the fact that the meds are only a small part of dealing with depression. Even the SSRIs and SNRIs don't "make you feel good," they merely take the edge off some of your depression so that you can constructively engage with the circumstantial, social, and spiritual issues. Books like those by Lloyd-Jones and Piper are welcome companions for those who find themselves strangely numb and disconnected. When I get through with some of my current reading, I want to tackle some of the Puritans who wrote on this theme as well.
timmopussycat
Puritan Board Junior
One Puritan you (and anyone strangely numb and disconnected) should read is Amazon.com: A Lifting Up for the Downcast (Puritan Paperbacks): William Bridge: Books
Simply fabulous preaching by William Bridge a true physician of souls.
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