Religion is a big part of our life, so it's inevitable that researchers would link it to depression disorder.
As far as I can tell religion works both ways as a trigger for depression and as depression help or even as depression deterrent.
As usual it all depends on the circumstances of an individual person.
For example, research from Ohio State University indicates that teenagers who follow some sort of religion and attend religious services are more likely to feel depressed than their non-religious counterparts.
They feel more guilty, disconnected and anxious.
The scientists explain the reason for this easily enough.
Religious teenagers feel torn between how they are supposed to behave according to their faith and what they need to do to fit into modern culture.
This is especially true for sexually active girls, who are more likely to feel guilt about their behavior than boys.
A research from Temple University suggests that people who are already depressed may try to find their religion to use it as coping mechanism.
Religion for them can act as depression therapy.
Religion brings comfort, support and feeling of security; it invites you to be a part of a strong community at a time when constant human contact is vital for your recovery.
Those people who already have their own strong beliefs feel spiritually centered and less likely to become depressed.
I think faith can do you a lot of good if you came to it by yourself, not decided to be part of certain religion because of some cultural and societal pressures.
Great thing about religion is that it provides the feeling of acceptance and forgiveness no matter what happened.
If you learn to accept what you can't change and to forgive others and most importantly yourself for some past mistakes this will go a long way towards preventing your depression.
Of course, most of the research I've come up with was centered on Christianity, but I think it's safe to say that Buddhism might be a great depression deterrent as well.
As a matter of fact, MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) which is used to prevent a relapse in patients recovering from depression came from Buddhist meditation.
Recent study in Exeter University in UK shows that among people who use MBCT 47% relapse into depression comparing to 60% of those who are on antidepressants.
This sort of meditation teaches you to detach yourself from thoughts which make you feel sad; after meditation you receive a cognitive therapy session of subtle questions and answers.
So, the conclusion is what I said in the beginning.
It all depends on the individual.
Some can find help through religion; others can experience a major trauma, question their faith and see their whole system of beliefs fall apart.
I would love to hear from anyone who had some sort of positive or negative experience of religion affecting their depression.
So, please share your story with us!
As far as I can tell religion works both ways as a trigger for depression and as depression help or even as depression deterrent.
As usual it all depends on the circumstances of an individual person.
For example, research from Ohio State University indicates that teenagers who follow some sort of religion and attend religious services are more likely to feel depressed than their non-religious counterparts.
They feel more guilty, disconnected and anxious.
The scientists explain the reason for this easily enough.
Religious teenagers feel torn between how they are supposed to behave according to their faith and what they need to do to fit into modern culture.
This is especially true for sexually active girls, who are more likely to feel guilt about their behavior than boys.
A research from Temple University suggests that people who are already depressed may try to find their religion to use it as coping mechanism.
Religion for them can act as depression therapy.
Religion brings comfort, support and feeling of security; it invites you to be a part of a strong community at a time when constant human contact is vital for your recovery.
Those people who already have their own strong beliefs feel spiritually centered and less likely to become depressed.
I think faith can do you a lot of good if you came to it by yourself, not decided to be part of certain religion because of some cultural and societal pressures.
Great thing about religion is that it provides the feeling of acceptance and forgiveness no matter what happened.
If you learn to accept what you can't change and to forgive others and most importantly yourself for some past mistakes this will go a long way towards preventing your depression.
Of course, most of the research I've come up with was centered on Christianity, but I think it's safe to say that Buddhism might be a great depression deterrent as well.
As a matter of fact, MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) which is used to prevent a relapse in patients recovering from depression came from Buddhist meditation.
Recent study in Exeter University in UK shows that among people who use MBCT 47% relapse into depression comparing to 60% of those who are on antidepressants.
This sort of meditation teaches you to detach yourself from thoughts which make you feel sad; after meditation you receive a cognitive therapy session of subtle questions and answers.
So, the conclusion is what I said in the beginning.
It all depends on the individual.
Some can find help through religion; others can experience a major trauma, question their faith and see their whole system of beliefs fall apart.
I would love to hear from anyone who had some sort of positive or negative experience of religion affecting their depression.
So, please share your story with us!