Hi xlea

Depression is a complex illness. Is it, chemical, existential angst, a reaction/response to a very real difficult situation? Begs a question. Can a imbalance create the angst or does the angst create a imbalance? Perhaps its not a ‘Either Or’ but and And Or situation.

The man who’s prayer to become rich becomes depressed because his prayer isn’t answered.  Is that depression or something else? Perhaps a unskillful  understanding/relationship to prayer, G_d, hope, love, ego, desire, life.. Is the man resisting life, demanding life conform to his desires, or participating in the flow that is life.  Maybe.  And or, Is their something biological that keeps the man from seeing or doing anything about the situation he finds himself in? Maybe

My own observations are that the medications we have to treat depression aid in creating the space for the someone to be  better able to reengage with life as it shows up.  The medications themselves can’t create that re-engagement or determine what that might look like. If the man goal is to win the lotto he is eventually going to have to buy a ticket.

A friend of my with a mental illness takes medication that has literally been a life saver. He will be on that medication for the rest of his life a fact that he had to come to terms with. That process of coming to terms with his illness and his desire to transcend it required a great deal of inner work. Not a either or situation were the medication magically solved all his problems. .