Treatment for Depression: Believe in God

Depression affects millions of people across the globe. In the United States alone, an estimated 20.9 million adults suffer from a depressive disorder, such as major or mild depression and bipolar disorder.

Common treatment practice for depressive disorders includes medication to balance brain chemicals and psychotherapy to adjust negative feelings into more positive thought processes. Doctors and therapists often recognize the help of religious beliefs in treating depression, but a new study suggests there may be more benefit in this than originally thought.

Treatment for Depression: Belief in a Caring God Makes a Difference
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, asked the question if believing in a caring God would have an effect on the treatment of depression over time. Belief in a God who cares is usually associated with hope, a feeling that counteracts depression.

To conduct the study, the researchers followed 136 adults diagnosed with some form of clinical depression. These depressed adults were graded on standard testing scales that measure the severity of depression, level of hopelessness, and degree of spiritual satisfaction. The first grading was conducted at the beginning of treatment, followed by a second scoring eight weeks later.

Test results showed the patients with the strongest belief in a caring God had at least a 50% reduction in depression symptoms after 8 weeks of medical treatment. Those who scored in the top third on the spiritual satisfaction test were 75% more likely to respond to medication than those who scored in the lowest third.

The researcher assumed the difference was due to the level of hope felt by the patients who believed that God cared about them. However, after analyzing all data, they found this was not the case.

"In our study, the positive response to medication had little to do with the feeling of hope that typically accompanies spiritual belief," said Patricia Murphy, PhD, co-author of the study, in a Rush University press release. "It was tied specifically to the belief that a Supreme Being cared."

Treatment for Depression: Talking to Someone Who Cares Can Include God
Depressed individuals are encouraged to talk to someone who cares. Many who are deeply depressed find this difficult. Either they do not completely understand their own feelings or they feel others will not understand. Is this the reason why believing in a caring God makes so much difference when treating depression?

King David, who at times knew depression, said to God, "When my disquieting thoughts became many inside of me, Your own consolations began to fondle my soul," and "A heart broken and crushed, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 94:19 NWT; Psalm 51:17 NWT)

For those who believe in God, knowing there is someone who cares for you no matter what happens and will be there to listen can make a significant difference while working through other forms of therapy.

"For people diagnosed with clinical depression, medication certainly plays an important role in reducing symptoms," said Patricia Murphy. "But when treating persons diagnosed with depression, clinicians need to be aware of the role of religion in their patients' lives. It is an important resource in planning their care."

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Sources:
Belief in a concerned god predicts response to treatment for adults with clinical depression
The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America
How is depression detected and treated?
Understanding Mood Disorders: Hope for Sufferers