Depressive Studies on Anti-Depressants

This study, noted by a Wall Street Journal blogger Jacob Goldstein, on anti-depressants is a little depressing. He notes:

"...The authors looked at 74 antidepressant studies that had been filed with the FDA, and found that those deemed positive by the agency went unpublished only 3% of the time, while those deemed negative by the agency went unpublished 67% of the time. When unfavorable studies were published, it was in a way that conflicted with the FDA’s opinion of the study, according to the article."

This is not going to be a rant on the biblical case for/against anti-depressants, rather just pointing out that in many cases even the drugs themselves don't deliver as advertised.

As we all know drugs are big business and especially drugs that say there going to make you happier or at least not (anti) sad (depressant). Now, I believe anti-depressants can be a gift of God's common grace, but I think in a lot of cases it just plain doesn't work. I'm no clinical psychiatrist but I think this could be for several reasons probably two being: (1) It doesn't work because a chemical imbalance in the brain is not the real problem it's relational, spiritual, or another biological/physical deficiency be it in the mind or in the body; (2) it doesn't work.

After reading this, I recalled speaking to a psychiatrist friend of mine a few months ago and he shared with me similar findings of the article. He mentioned that usually anti-depressants don't work. No, not never work, but usually don't; and when they do work many times it's not actually the pill working but its the placebo effect. Herein though lies the rub, if I give you a pill that makes you fell less depressed or not as depressed and you do in fact become less depressed, even though its not the physical causation of the pill, did not the pill work?

Hmmm...I think that itself has much to say about being human.

The Cure for the Christian's Past Sin

Feeling depressed about your past. Here is some "medication", rather, the cure from the Doctor through Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones:

"Let me sum it up in this way, therefore. You and I--and to me this is one of the great discoveries of the Christian life; I shall never forget the release which realizing this for the first time brought to me--you and I must never look at our past lives; we must never look at any sin in our past life in any way except that which leads us to praise God and to magnify His grace in christ Jesus. I challenge you to do that. If you look at your past and are depressed by it, if as a result you are feeling miserable as a Christian, you must do what Paul did. 'I was a blasphemer,' he said, but he did not stop at that. Does he then say: 'I am unworthy to be a preacher of the gospel?' In fact he says the exact opposite: 'I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful putting me into the ministry, etc.'....That is the way to look at your past. So if, you look at your past and are depressed, it means that you are listening to the devil...Why believe the devil instead of believing God? Rise up and realize the truth about yourself that all the past has gone, and you are one with Christ, and your sins have been blotted out once and for ever."

Spiritual Depression, p. 75-76