My Experience with Depression 

By Paul Netsch 

I was treated for depression in 1985, including shock treatments and six weeks in the hospital. In looking back on this difficult time, it was obvious that God’s guiding hand and tender love was with me, my wife, Diane, and our entire family. He guided me to a treatment center in Sioux City that I’d never heard about, and to a doctor I did not know who was an expert in treatment of depression with medication. My depression was caused by a certain brain chemistry that was inherited. Several members in my family were treated for the same problem. It was a long road to recovery, but God was faithful in answering our prayers. Now twenty-three years later I take my medication each day, and have had no reoccurrences of this debilitating illness. 

Here are some things I have learned. 

1. You do not have to live with depression. 

Eighty percent of all cases of depression that are treated are brought under control. Ask God to steer you to the proper treatment center, and then follow doctor’s orders. Take your medications regularly as the doctor prescribes. Depression robs a person of the ability to do things. It causes one to be confused, unable to eat, and often waking up at 3:00 AM to worry. This is why treatment is so important. 

2. Live one day at a time with the help, love, and power of God. 

Take your “hands off the wheel” and leave the driving to the Lord. Also, don’t try to carry everything on your shoulders. Mentally take them off of your shoulders and put them on God’s. He can carry anything and everything. That took a lot of time, faith and practice for me, but I have been able to do it with God’s help and so can you. How? First you pray, then you do whatever comes to your mind, trusting God to guide you. 

3. Get your mind off of yourself. 

Get into something that will allow you to help others. God gave us all talents and ability, so trust in Him to lead you to the right opportunities. When I was ready to retire, I decided I really didn’t want to! So Diane and I together decided that the best way to approach retirement was to pick only projects that were fun, fulfilling and interesting. We call this “FFI”. God led us to many of these opportunities in our church, our community, surrounding communities and supporting missionaries around the world. 

4. Practice 15-15 sessions. 

15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening for prayer, reading the Bible, and opening your mind to God’s will. It will help your mental health. The Bible addresses worry, anxiety, fear and depression, and it assures us that these maladies are not God’s will for us. God can and will provide deliverance from them. 

5. Bible verses that have helped me. 

Philippians 4:8 shows us the state of mental health God intends for his children: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.” 

1 Peter 5:6-7 advises: “Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 

In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus puts our worries in proper perspective. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.