1. Are antidepressants OK for Christians?
Dr Rob Waller
Consultant Psychiatrist
NHS Lothian

2. Brainstorm What is depression? What are the solutions?
What are the issues around Christians taking antidepressants?

3. Life is a balancing act Resources Demands Consequences…

4. How much stress is OK? The right place to be Doing too little
Living sacrifices and not burnt offerings..!
Doing too little
Doing too much

5. The stages of depression
Warning signs
Using up favours!
Burnout
Link briefly to last talk in this series David Craigie talked on Stress
Depression is what happens after stress! Stress is still coping (after a fashion), Depression is not coping. Favours used up. Breaking down.
Breakdown

6. The monamine hypothesis
Not enough brain chemicals
Medication raises levels
Related to number of biological symptoms

7. When medication works
-10
+10

8. Types of therapy / counselling
Psychotherapy
Directive / here-and-now [eg, CBT]
Non-directive / past-focus [eg, psychoanalysis]
Interpersonal
Counselling
Person/Client Centred [humanistic?]
Christian / Biblical / Nouthetic
Friendship
Family / Church / Pastoral Care

9. Shared responsibility
The two aspects of the six-fold circle that are particularly relevant to us is the spiritual-mental domain. Some stuff is just spiritual, some is just mental illness, but in the OVERLAP there are people excluded by both the church and mental health services, separated from God’s love (as Christians who cannot fellowship, or those with a nascent faith who can’t find out more), facing stigma from both sides.
Are some problems ‘spiritual’?
Are some problems ‘understandable’?
Is making a distinction helpful?

10. So where do the Mind and Antidepressants fit?
The Great Divide
Arts
BA and BD
Opinion
Theology
Soul
Perfect/Holy
Sciences
BSc
Method
Medicine
Body
Illness/Unholy
So where do the Mind and Antidepressants fit?

11. Brainstorm
Which of these medications would you be willing to take as a Christian?
And why/not?
Analgesia
Paracetamol
Morphine
Chemotherapy
Anti-epileptic medication
The Morning After Pill
The Combined Contraceptive Pill
Analgesia
Paracetamol - COX-3 action in brain and spinal cord
Morphine - Delta for analgesia/Mu for euphoria and dependence - both in the brain
Chemotherapy - varied action, but ‘necessary to save life’
Anti-epileptic medication - action in the brain but epilepsy seen as medical illness
The Morning After Pill - objection is ethical not medical
The Combined Contraceptive Pill - differential objection based on ethics not mode of action

12. Elastic Opinions Analgesia
Paracetamol - COX-3 action in brain and spinal cord
Morphine - Delta for analgesia/Mu for euphoria and dependence - both in the brain
Chemotherapy - varied action, but ‘necessary to save life’
Anti-epileptic medication - action in the brain but epilepsy seen as medical illness
The Morning After Pill - objection is ethical not medical
The Combined Contraceptive Pill - differential objection based on ethics not mode of action

13. Do they work? They do work in some situations They have problems
Effect on symptoms, especially bodily ones
Initial impact on cycles of thoughts
Reduce chance of relapse
They have problems
Not as effective in mild depression or longstanding unhappiness
Can increase impulsivity if taken inappropriately

14. Things they cannot do… Address the causes of depression
Change our personality
Impact low self-esteem
Improve our faith
Build community
Excuse behavior