Depression: What Does It Really Look Like?

Depression. Who gets it? What does it look like? Is it demonic? Is it a chemical imbalance?

All of these questions are worth talking about. As someone who has fought depression myself, I want to talk about how complicated it can actually be.

First, depression does not affect everyone the same way. There are different depressive disorders, and symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Seasonal affective disorder, sometimes called SAD, is one example. It follows a seasonal pattern and often affects people during particular times of the year. For me, one thing I have noticed is that depression can make it harder to be present even when everything around me seems to be going well. Sleep can also have a complicated relationship with depression. Depression can interfere with sleep, while ongoing sleep problems can worsen a person's mental health.

Grief is another experience that can bring symptoms that resemble depression. The death of someone we love; or even the loss of something deeply important to us; can bring sadness, exhaustion, changes in appetite and sleep, difficulty concentrating and feelings of hopelessness. Grief and clinical depression are not necessarily the same thing, but they can overlap.

Depression itself can look very different from person to person.

For one person, it might mean struggling to get out of bed. Someone else may overeat, while another person may barely eat at all. Some people cry uncontrollably. Others become numb, irritable or unusually quiet.

And some people become very good at hiding it.

They may go to work, laugh, have conversations and appear completely fine while privately struggling. Sometimes hiding the pain becomes the only way a person knows how to cope when they have not yet learned healthier ways of dealing with what they are experiencing.

When Trauma and Depression Affect the Body

Depression isn't experienced only through thoughts and emotions. Mental health can affect the body as well.

Traumatic experiences can leave lasting effects on the nervous system and on the way a person's body responds to reminders of what happened. Sometimes a person's mind may understand that an event is over while their body still responds with fear, tension, nausea, exhaustion or a sense of danger.

Certain people, places, sounds or situations can bring those reactions back.

Depression can also become tangled with grief and regret.

I made the wrong decision.

I should have spent more time with them.

I wish I had done something differently.

Those thoughts can become extremely heavy, particularly when someone is already grieving or processing trauma.

Depression can affect more than emotions. It can interfere with sleep, appetite, concentration, decision-making and, for some people, their sense of connection with their own body.

One approach some therapists use is somatic therapy, which places attention on bodily sensations and nervous-system responses alongside thoughts and emotions.

According to Stefan Allen-Hickey, a therapist with Downtown Somatic Therapy in Manhattan, “Somatic therapy allows people to come back into their bodies and experience sensations more vividly than their depression had been allowing.”

Somatic approaches may help people become more aware of what they are experiencing physically and emotionally rather than feeling disconnected from those sensations.

A client testimonial published by Somatic Therapy Partners provides one person's experience with this type of treatment. The client described dealing with severe depression, anxiety, panic attacks and past trauma before beginning somatic work.

The client wrote, “Through this work, I have been able to process trauma and return to my body safely.”

The person also described becoming more aware of their nervous system and learning to soothe themselves in healthier ways rather than relying on harmful coping mechanisms.

A testimonial cannot prove that a treatment will work for everyone, but it can show what one person's experience with that treatment looked like.

When Depression Feels Spiritual

For Christians, depression can sometimes affect more than mood, motivation and energy. It can also affect a person's relationship with God, prayer, worship and faith.

In an article for Therapy for Christians, clinical psychologist Corine Williams, Ph.D., describes spiritual depression as an emotional and spiritual struggle that may leave someone feeling disconnected from their faith or questioning beliefs that once brought them comfort.

Williams identifies possible signs such as feeling distant from God, losing joy in worship, withdrawing from church or other religious communities, questioning one's faith and struggling to continue spiritual practices such as prayer or Bible study.

She also identifies difficult life circumstances, guilt about past mistakes, religious doubt and excessive self-examination as experiences that may contribute to spiritual depression.

Williams recommends several forms of support, including prayer, Scripture, journaling, supportive community and professional mental-health care. As someone who has experienced depression myself, I believe there can also be times when depression feels connected to spiritual warfare. I have experienced depression that seemed connected to grief, trauma and circumstances. I have also experienced times that I personally understood what I was going through as spiritual warfare.

But that does not mean every case of depression is demonic.

And it does not mean someone experiencing depression simply needs to pray harder.

Depression is complicated. Psychological, biological, environmental, social and spiritual factors may all play a role in someone's experience. Faith and professional mental-health treatment do not have to compete with one another.

A Christian can pray and see a therapist.

A Christian can read Scripture and take medication when prescribed.

A Christian can deeply love God and still wake up one morning unable to understand why getting out of bed feels almost impossible. Seeking help does not automatically mean someone lacks faith.

Moving Forward

There may not be one simple answer to the question,' What causes depression?'

And there certainly isn't one way depression looks.

It can look like crying.

It can look like anger.

It can look like numbness.

It can look like someone sleeping all day or someone lying awake all night.

It can look like grief, withdrawal or irritability.

And sometimes it can look like a person smiling, going to work and appearing completely fine. Healing may involve counseling, medication, addressing trauma, improving sleep, movement or somatic approaches, supportive relationships, spiritual practices or a combination of several things.

For Christians, prayer and faith can be meaningful parts of that process. Professional mental-health treatment can be part of it too. The important thing is recognizing that depression is not one-dimensional. Behind the word depression is a person; and every person's story is different.

References

Allen-Hickey, S. (2021, December 16). How does somatic therapy help with depression? Downtown Somatic Therapy.

Retrieved by https://downtownsomatictherapy.com/article/somatic-therapy-depression

Somatic Therapy NYC

Somatic Therapy Partners. (n.d.). Depression therapy. Retrieved by https://somatictherapypartners.com/depression-therapy/

Williams, C. (2024, March 18). Shining light on spiritual depression: Finding hope amidst the darkness. Therapy for Christians. Retrieved by https://therapyforchristians.com/blog/spiritual-depression