"You'll soon cheer up again," or those who chirp "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, you know," not forgetting the, "you just need something to smile about,"

Take care of yourself there are people who value you and respect you.

They equate happiness with believing in the invisible head of the NSA in the sky, obviously if you are depressed then it HAS to be because you don't believe

Our culture in general just can't seem to accept not being happy. If you are depressed something must be wrong with you.

Don't know if any of you have read it, but it reminds me of the beginning of Do Androids Dream of Eletric Sheep (book version of Blade Runner) where Deckard can't understand why his wife won't take a pill to cure her of depression.

Christian privilege. Of course, there is nothing suggesting you can't tell someone they need reason.

They can't help so they offer the Lord's help. Personally, I've never known him to get involved.

why do the believers get depressed too? Every believer is not all-happy-all-the-time. They have bad days, weeks, years. A very Christian friend of mine lost her husband nine months ago.....she still cries every day and can hardly get out of bed and function. I can't figure out why God hasn't helped her yet, although she asks him several times a day. And I can't figure out why she is not just happy that he is now with God and waiting for her to join him. Actually, I do not really think these things----I keep encouraging her to get professional grief counseling. My point is that everyone gets depressed some times, with or without god in their lives.

Hope you can get through this without too much drama. And if we can help, please let us know.....promise we will not say that you are in need of gawd.

We hit a rough patch here and I had a bad couple of days. I always figure that sometimes you just got to ride it through. Now, if it takes a while, then I know it's something more serious.

Thanks for the encouragement.

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The cartoonist just recently updated her blog after a year off due to a bout of depression. It's the most insightful thing I've ever read on depression in a silly, crudely-drawn webtoon format.

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

Thanks for sharing that!

Many years ago, when my marriage was falling apart, I put myself into therapy. I knew I was pretty screwed up (my parents did a MARVELOUS job of teaching me that: a) I am worthless / unlovable & should thank my lucky stars that ANYone would be so magnanimous as to overlook my myriad of faults & allow me to be in their life, and b) the happiness / unhappiness of everyone around me is 100% my responsibility / fault) and I was sick of being so fucking sad / insecure / angry ALL the time, and knew I needed help. On the third visit, when I was telling him that I truly felt like my husband didn't -- and never had / would -- love me, he told me that what I was feeling was the absence of a relationship with God, and that if I would just let God in, then all of those bad feelings would go away.

I left his office immediately and never went back.

And he chose to preach at you instead? I would be furious if that happened to me and probably asking some of my lawyer relatives if I had a case.

Fortunately for all of us we have the AA group where we don't have to put up with such nonsense.

I am sorry you are going through a difficult time. Please let me know if you need someone to listen to you.

We godless heathens are here to help.



Julie

The fact you started your thread title with the two words you did makes you a believer in the eyes of the godnuts.