The happiness decision - When deciding is not enough

This is not my normal doctrinal blog full of scriptures and pithy quotes. My intent is nonetheless the same: to lift someone who needs to be lifted, to help someone who needs to be helped. I do not usually know who I am supposed to help, but I know what I am supposed to say.

Lest someone gets the impression that Pollyanna sunshine is the answer to every problem in life, I want to talk about those who cannot think the blues away. Depression and bipolar disorder are very real conditions. They are physical maladies in which the body cannot produce enough neurotransmitters like serotonin to keep the brain happy. Mortal life in a physical body runs on chemistry. Our bodies are, by their very nature, chemically dependent. When that chemistry gets out of balance, it is impossible to feel good. No amount of positive thinking will generate serotonin any more than it will generate insulin for a defective pancreas or thyroxine for a defective thyroid.

Everyone gets the blues from time to time. Life can be discouraging, and we can feel let down and defeated. Sadness is a part of our mortal sojourn. The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a mixed bag that presents us with sweetness or bitterness at any given bite.

Depression, however, is not discouragement or simply a bad day. Someone who suffers from depression is not just having a down moment. Minor depression can last for several weeks; major depression may last for years. Depression can be the result of a psychosis (a serious break with reality), Bipolar Disorder (cycling mood swings), gloomy weather (Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD), and even childbirth (Postpartum Depression).

MRIs show that the brains of people with depression look different than those of people without depression. Areas of the brain associated with mood, sleep, appetite, thought, and behavior can be affected. Depression can have genetic predisposition, but it can also strike those who have no family history of depression. Obvious traumas, such as the loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or any stressful situation, can trigger depression in an otherwise happy person. Sometimes depression can occur without any obvious trigger.

One does not simply think his or her way out of depression, any more than one thinks his way out of a heart attack or kidney failure. Like any physical ailment, depression requires treatment. It is true that a person with heart disease or kidney disease can improve the situation by improving his lifestyle through exercise and proper diet. But when exercise and diet are not enough, medical intervention may be necessary. The same is true of depression. A depression sufferer can learn to recognize and avoid triggers. But sometimes that is not enough.

Depression is not a choice, but there is nevertheless a decision to be made. Depression does not rob us of our agency, although it may increase the difficulty in exercising that agency in a responsible way. We still own the decision to get help.

The Lord does not want us to suffer unnecessarily with bad hearts, bad kidneys, or bad chemistry. He has inspired people to develop marvelous technologies that can reduce suffering and heal and repair maladies. Elder Russel M. Nelson is a magnificent example of an inspired surgeon who developed phenomenal skills to help ailing hearts. God has created our miraculous bodies, and he provides the gift of healing; but he expects us to use all remedies at our disposal to help ourselves even as we exercise faith in him.

A story is told of a man who was trapped in the Louisiana floods caused by Hurricane Katrina. As the water rose around him, he climbed to the roof of his house, and he prayed mightily to God to save his life. After a short time, a man in a rowboat paddle near the submerged house. He told the man on the roof to jump aboard, but the man said that he had prayed and was waiting for God to save him. A few minutes later a helicopter hovered overhead. The rescuers dropped a line to hoist the man aboard, but he refused the line. He said he had prayed and was waiting for God to save him.

Shortly thereafter, the walls of the house began to crumble, and the roof, with the man still on it, began to slip into the murky, swirling flood waters. The man called out, "Lord, I prayed and I have faith. Why did you not save me?" Then he heard a voice from above the clouds. "I sent you a boat and a helicopter. What more do you want?"

There is no shame in removing a brain tumor or replacing a heart valve or getting a kidney transplant. There is likewise no shame in getting help with depression. When making the happiness decision is not enough, we should not assume that we are weak or unworthy or unloved or forgotten. Sin causes despair, and righteousness and repentance bring happiness. But if we are doing our best to avoid sin and keep the commandments, and happiness eludes us, help is available.

As one who has suffered with depression all of my life, and who has sought help more than once when the burden has been too much to carry alone, I know that help can be found. Life is too short to suffer needlessly. God helps us after all we can do.

For more information, see the National Institute of Mental Health's website article "Depression" (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml).