Overcome Anxiety and Depression

As someone who suffers from being bi-polar and knows the consequences of not being on medication I cannot help but offended by this article. I am a Christian and I cling to my faith to see me through those periods when I am undergoing times of "darkness of the soul" but without my meds life can be unbearable for me and those around me.
I attend group therapy and I know that bi-polar disorder and depression are not rare or merely misdiagnosed. Having suicidal thoughts is not something that anyone wants. I try to draw strength from God's word and the knowledge that God is soverign especially over my bi-polar disorder.

I find certain things dangerous about this article. People who have chemical imbalances that need medication is "rare"? No way. And from someone who does have depression requiring medication, this article sends prickles- the same misunderstandings we hear from the world. Perhaps it would be better to use a different word than "depression" for the purposes of this article. Did the writer even do any research to know what depression IS and statistics of how many people are affected?

I want to send a big "thank-you" for this article. I am moving through the pain of an unwanted divorce and the emotions that go along with it, and this article has been of great help and encouragement to me. It has reinforced the fact that the LORD is with me no matter what.

My sincere thanks,
Connie

There is a difference between spiritual health and mental health. The author of the book discussed and the reviewer seem to have missed that point. While it is often true that poor choices in either one will lead to problems with the other, that is not always the case. It can do considerable harm to people who are doing everything that they know how to do to the best of their ability, to tell them that the reason they are depressed is not because of illness but because of their own poor choices, or because of circumstances. Now, if ever there were a recipe for hopelessness, that is it. There are sometimes situations that medicine is a God-send to help people get through the situation. And for other situations, perhaps we should say, "Let's go through your life and see what we can do about the situation together. I'm here to help you". No suicide? Then don't make people feel like they are hopeless failures and can do no right.

There are some very helpful tools here - particularly turning our worries into prayers. I find that praying the Psalms is very encouraging and relaxing - since the Psalmists are very real about how they feel, but they still praise God.

I would not recommend snapping oneself with a rubber band, however. That can be a form of self-harm.