2 become a stormy relationship with Mary Todd. Although they eventually married, in January of 1841, Lincoln broke off their engagement and fell deeper into depression. His close friends became so alarmed at Lincoln’s mental and emotional state that they removed from his house all knives and other dangerous instruments. The words cited above were written by Lincoln in a letter to Mary Todd. They reveal the severity of his depression. Like Lincoln, many people suffer from bouts of depression. It is estimated that depression affects more than 19 million Americans each year. Roughly 15 percent of Americans will experience depression at least once in their lives. Depression is an “equal opportunity” condition, cutting across social, racial, religious, and economic classes. Women are nearly twice as likely as men to have a depressive illness during adulthood. Experts say the reasons women have more depression than men include: hormones, pregnancy, single parenting, and the stress of work and family. The bad news is that, left untreated, depression can limit lives, ruin lives and even end lives. However, the good news is there are many effective ways to manage and even overcome this syndrome.
Here are some gentle ways to ease depression and climb toward the light. 1 Begin by Understanding You Are Not Alone Don’t succumb to the temptation of believing you are alone or unique or have somehow been singled out by life’s forces to suffer with depression. As has been cited, depression impacts millions of people from all walks of life. It can be found in people around the world and across the ages. In 400 b.c., Hippocrates, the Greek physician, considered the founder of western medicine, diagnosed depression, calling it melancholia (from Greek words meaning “black bile”). The Bible reports several individuals who suffered with depression. Some examples include: • Moses, who, unhappy with the state of his life, shouted to God: “If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!” (Numbers 11:15). • Elijah, who became extremely discouraged with his life and work. In 1 Kings 19:4 we read these words: “(Elijah) went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came 3