Christian Counseling for Depression: Causes, Treatment, and Issues

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of Christian counseling as a treatment approach for depression. It begins by defining depression as a significant public health concern, outlining its symptoms and potential causes, including abuse, conflict, loss, medications, genetics, and social issues. The paper then focuses on Christian counseling, explaining its principles and benefits, such as stress reduction and the integration of faith with psychological principles. It also discusses spiritual intervention, highlighting its role in providing emotional support and moral guidance. The essay concludes by emphasizing the potential of Christian counseling to alleviate the effects of depression, offering a holistic approach that addresses both the mind and the spirit. The paper also includes a detailed bibliography of sources used in the research.

Running Head: CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
CHRISTIAN COUNSELING

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
Table of content
Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 3
Issue............................................................................................................................................ 3
Causes........................................................................................................................................ 4
Counseling for depression........................................................................................................... 5
Conclusion................................................................................................................................... 7
Bibliography................................................................................................................................. 8

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
Introduction
Depression is a serious public health problem that is occurring in most of the people these days.
Depression is common disorder in all generations across the world. There are many people
across the worlds that are affected by such disease or disorder that may result in suicide because
of such negative thoughts (Dogan and Bilge 75). Depression is the leading cause of disability
around the world and it can alter the thoughts, feelings, thinking, and motivation of an
individual. The risk of depression can also increase due to mental illness or caste issues in family
or social groups (Gong, Qiyong and Yong He 223). There are many Christian that found that
Christian counseling to be a godsend. Depression arises when sad thoughts, loss, frustration
arises with daily life and remain for longer period of time. This paper discusses about the
depression and reason behind occurrence of such disease. It also discusses treatment includes in
Christian counseling and how such counseling can help the patient.
Issue
Depression can occurs due to a variety of reasons, In the words of World Health Organization
loss of energy, weakness, laziness, hopelessness, reduction in concentration, anxiety, negative
thoughts like suicide are some of the symptoms of depression(Friedrich, "Depression is the
leading cause of disability around the world. 1517). There are many people who experience
depression due to the death of near ones. The person who experiences depression feels sad and
lonely without any reason. Depression occurs more in women compared to men. Depression can
alter the thoughts, feelings, thinking, and motivation of an individual. It has both a long term
effect and short term effects. It totally depends on the level of depression of an individual one of

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
the essential symptoms of depression is depressed mood which can also occur with the side
effects of medicines and drugs taken during the physical diseases. Mental abuse, sexual abuse
and physical abuse in childhood can also result in depression in adults (MacGill).
Causes
There are some determinants that may originate the occurrence of depression:
Abuse: Emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse in childhood can also result in
depression. It can also increase the susceptibility to medical depression in adulthood.
Conflict: Depression in a person who has biological susceptibility in order to increase
depression that can occur from personal issues, arguments with loved ones or family members or
relatives or friends.
Death or loss: Sadness and bereavement from the loss or death of near one may cause
depression. Trouble in sleeping and losing interest in different tasks and activities is a symptom
of loss that may result in depression. Grief is a symptom of loss which includes death or
separation of near ones or is a loved one. It also includes changes in life, retirement, becoming
hopeless, and loneliness, diverse that may result in depression and individuals start thinking
negatively about the future and empty. The thought of suicide also occurs during this in the mind
of a depressed person (Kendall-Tackett and Kathleen 304).
Certain medications: Medicines and drugs name isotretinoin that is used for Acne treatment
and corticosteroids can cause depression and risk of depression. Benzodiazepines,
anticonvulsants, stimulants are some of the major drugs that may increase the risk of depression.
Beta-blockers that refer to medication for the blood pressure may also result in depression
(Łukasik-Głębocka, Magdalena and et al. 67).

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
Genetics: The depression history of a family can also increase the risk of depression. Depression
is a complicated character; it means that there are different small genes that result in small
effects. The Genetics of depression is a psychiatric disorder and is not as simple as genetic
diseases (Zalar and et al. 13).
Other personal problems: The risk of depression can also increase due to mental illness or
caste issues in family or social groups. The issues such as social confinement can also increase
the risk of depression (Assari, Shervin and Maryam Moghani Lankarani. 351).
Serious illness: The stress and burden can also lead to depression, especially if an individual is
dealing with chronic pain for the long term. Sometimes many people deal with the illness along
with depression that may generate by another therapeutic condition (Wei, Changjuan and et al.
272).
Substance abuse: More than 30% of people across the world dealing with substance abuse
problems, also dealing with major depression. If alcohol or drugs makes an individual feel better,
then it will irritate the disease of depression (Infurna, Maria Rita and et al. 50).
Major events: Events such as graduating, starting a new job, excitement, getting married may
also result in depression. So, losing a job, moving from one place to another place, losses of
income, getting divorced, can also cause depression. The problem of clinical depression is not
just a casual symptom of never racking life actions.
Social cause: Lack of power, unequal or low status, physical abuse, poverty and dissatisfaction
in relationships are also some social causes of depression in women in which they start feeling
hopeless and helpless.

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
Christian Counseling for depression
Christian counseling Therapy
Christian counseling is one of a path of god that helps an individual to walk during the critical
phase through the process of change and relieve. It is an effective treatment without medication
treatment; it may result well for serious depression. A professional Christian counselor will help
the patient to come across other problems that may result in depression. With the help of
Christian counseling that also refer as biblical counseling, I counsel the person who is dealing
with depression and daily life stress. It will also motivate the depressed person to apply the
medication in a proper manner. I offer a rich climate to the entire patient and believe that god is
ultimate reliever of life and pain. If an individual is taking Christian counseling therapy, then it
combines the faith and the principles of psychology in order to improve the mental illness and
relationships (Kolovos, Spyros and Annet Kleiboer 463).
Benefits
Christian counseling will help an individual in releasing stress and tensions. It will also provide a
new way of thinking about issues.it will enable a Christian to identify the nature that is
incompatible with teaching of god in order to accept the god’s tendency. It will also enable the
depressed person to understand the process of dealing with the harmful effects of medicines and
drugs with the help of bible that is one of the ways of guiding on how an individual should think
and act. Christian counseling is not only about healing the pain rather it is all about using the
truth of the bible as a tool in order to release the mental illness of the patient dealing with
depression. It will also decrease the stress of the day with the help of bible because they starts
have faith on holy book.
Spiritual intervention

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
Spirituality plays a very essential part in an individual's ability in order to deal with the disease
and such practices provide individual emotional support and also helped an individual to find a
way of life it also provides moral guidelines and ethical suggestions. Spiritual therapy is a part of
counseling which treats the patient who is suffering from depression by accessing the body and
soul of the person. I use Spiritual therapy for counseling of those patients who believe in power
which helps them to generate a connection with the power. With the help of this therapy, I
enable the patient to find out the morale dispute that exists in their life. It is a method that helps
the patient to find out the section of dispute. This therapy includes communicating with nature,
another person, listening to music, meditation that aims to establish a connection between soul
with mind and body. This therapy helps the patient to deal with challenges in life, mental issues,
and stress (Setiawan, Arif Adi, and Shofa Chasani, 56). In order to improve spiritual health, the
patient should travel from one place to another place which will provide a break from work, and
should express thoughts to their loved ones which will release stress and tension. The outcome of
such therapy will be excellent.
Conclusion
Depression is one of the common diseases across the world which may result in disability. It can
also alter the thoughts, feelings, thinking, and motivation of an individual it has a long term
effect and also has a short term effect. There are many people who experience depression due to
the death of near ones. It has been concluded in the above study that Christian counseling will
help an individual in releasing stress and tensions. It will also provide a new way of thinking
about issues. It will also enable a Christian to identify the nature that is incompatible with
teaching of god in order to accept the god’s tendency. The risk of depression can also increase

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
due to mental illness or caste issues in family or social groups. Spiritual therapy is a part of
counseling which treats the patient who is suffering from depression by accessing the body and
soul of the person.

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING
Bibliography
Assari, Shervin and Maryam Moghani Lankarani. ""Association between stressful life events and
depression; intersection of race and gender." Journal of racial and ethnic health
disparities 3.2 (2016): 349-356.
Dogan and Bilge. "The relationship between temperament and depression in Parkinson's
disease patients under dopaminergic treatment." Psychogeriatrics 19.1 (2019): 73-79.
Friedrich, M.J. ""Depression is the leading cause of disability around the world." Jama 317.15
(2017): 1517-1517.
—. "Depression is the leading cause of disability around the world." Jama 317.15 (2017): 1517-
1517.
Gong, Qiyong and Yong He. ""Depression, neuroimaging and connectomics: a selective
overview"." Biological psychiatry 77.3 (2015): 223-235.
Infurna, Maria Rita and et al. ""Associations between depression and specific childhood
experiences of abuse and neglect: a meta-analysis."." Journal of affective disorders 190
(2016): 47-55.
Kendall-Tackett and A. Kathleen . Depression in new mothers: Causes, consequences and
treatment alternatives. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, 2016.
Kolovos, et al. ""Effect of psychotherapy for depression on quality of life: meta-analysis."." The
British Journal of Psychiatry 209.6 (2016): 460-468.
Łukasik-Głębocka, Magdalena and et al. ""Flubromazolam–A new life-threatening designer
benzodiazepine." Clinical Toxicology 54.1 (2016): 66-68.
MacGill, Markus. What is Depression. 30 November 2017. 3 october 2019
<https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/kc/depression-causes-symptoms-treatments-
8933>.
Setiawan, et al. ""ISLAMIC PRAYER IS EFFECTIVE TO REDUCE PAIN AND ANXIETY
PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN ICVCU: A PILOT STUDY."."
LINK 12.2 (2017): 54-59.
Wei, Changjuan and et al. ""Factors associated with post-stroke depression and fatigue: lesion
location and coping styles."." Journal of neurology 263.2 (2016): 269-276.
Zalar, B. and et al. ""Family history as an important factor for stratifying participants in genetic
studies of major depression."." Balkan Journal of Medical Genetics 21.1 (2018): 5-12.