The Catholic Guide to Depression

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses and Catholics area far from immune. The Catholic Guide to Depression: How the Saints, the Sacraments, and Psychiatry Can Help You Break Its Grip and Find Happiness Again by Dr. Aaron Kheriaty with Fr. John Cihak, STD offers a much needed guide to navigating this painful illness from a Catholic perspective.

Symptoms of depression include an inability to focus, seeing the world through a negative lens, changes in sleep patterns (insomnia or excessive sleep), low energy, inappropriate feelings of guilt, an inability to find joy in activities, anxiety, and/or frequent thoughts of death. All ages are at risk.

Some Catholics may feel that all depression has a spiritual cause; that if one simply prayed enough, believed enough, etc. the symptoms would go away. Dr. Kheriaty assures that is not the case. Many cases of depression have physical causes. Included in this category are those with brain chemical imbalances, those who suffer from seasonal depression, and those in the midst of post-partum depression. By the same token, not all depression is caused by physical ailments, and may indeed have a spiritual dimension. Very often, depression is caused by a combination of factors and a fruitful course of treatment will treat both body and soul.

Dr. Kheriaty offers a historical overview of depression and how it has been treated. He acknowledges the reasons many Catholics have felt suspicious of psychiatry due to Freud and Jung being very anti-religious. By the same token, he emphasizes the positive role that a competent psychiatrist or psychologist can play in treatment. He also states that it is not necessary to find a Catholic psychiatrist or psychologist. Rather, the important factor is whether he or she is skilled and respectful of their patients’ religious beliefs.

Dr. Kheriaty also approaches depression from a Catholic standpoint. He acknowledges the role of suffering in the Christian life, that “it is something used by God to bring the disciple into closer union with him.” He compares and contrasts depression with the dark night of the soul. He also explores the importance of the virtue of hope.

No discussion of depression is complete without a conversation about suicide. Those suffering from depression often contemplate suicide. Dr. Kheriaty has a compassionate view of those who have lost the will to live. “This view of suicide as a ‘solution’ to suffering is of course a life, a trick of the diseased mind, but one that is easier to believe when in the throes of serious depression.” He encourages people to take any talk of suicide seriously and offers suggestions of what to do if someone is threatening suicide. From a Catholic standpoint, he emphasizes that mental health issues “can diminish one’s responsibility or culpability for suicide” and that we must pray for those who have committed suicide and entrust their souls to God’s care and mercy.

While any treatment plan should be undertaken under professional care, Dr. Kheriaty does discuss various types of medical intervention. He also recommends physical exercise, regular routines, and social interaction (which are good suggestions for everyone’s mental health). Appendices include resources for further reading, prayers in time of distress, and an address of Pope St. John Paul II on the theme of depression.

The Catholic Guide to Depression is a valuable guide for those suffering from depression, as well as for those who love someone who is suffering. The most important take-away is that both spiritual and physical help is available and that patients need not suffer without treatment.

If you or someone you love are contemplating suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255. You can also contact a crisis counselor by texting HOME to 741741.

The Minimalist Home

The reality is I will never be the poster child for minimalism. My house is full of stuff and most days is generally messy. Yet, I do try to keep our lives relatively simple. I try not to buy for the sake of buying. I value experiences much more than things. The rest of my family refers to me as "anti-stuffist" and every year I try to get 40 bags of stuff out of our house (some years I get closer than others - this year so far I am at 12).

Every once in a while, I pick up a book on minimalism. I really admire people that live that life and I get inspired reading these books. I enjoyed The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life by Joshua Becker. There isn't anything earth-shatteringly new in this book. If you've read about minimalism, you've heard this all before. Although, like I said, it is always useful to read and be inspired to take even small steps to having less stuff. Thankfully, there is nothing in these pages about only keeping items that "spark joy". There is a lot of stuff a family needs that does not spark joy!

What I really liked about this book, however, was that it wasn't just about getting rid of the stuff. Becker writes from a Christian perspective and emphasizes how getting rid of the stuff helps us to be more generous with both our money and our time. When we aren't spending so much to buy things or to maintain the things we have, we have more money to use to help others. When we aren't spending so much time caring for stuff, we have more time to spend with others and care for others. There is where the true gift lies.

Get a Free Trial of Audible

As some of you are aware, I am an Amazon Affiliate which means that if you click on an Amazon link through my site and purchase an item, I get a small commission. Right now, Amazon is running a great deal. You can get a 30 day Free Trial of Audible and help support this site!

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The Art of Dying Well

The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a Good End of Life by Katy Butler is designed for those age 50 or older and those who care for them. It is also useful reading for younger people facing a terminal illness. Butler maintains that we are “more terrified of death, and more unequipped for it, than we need be.” For most of history, dying was very much part of life. It happened at home under the care of family and friends, after which time the body was ceremoniously washed and dressed. Today, death is often treated as a medical procedure, stripped of dignity and humanity. It doesn’t have to be this way. “There is a way to a peaceful, empowered, humane death.”

Butler includes much practical information on what types of legal documents to have in place so that your wishes are followed, how to navigate the complex health care system, how to get help (or of you are a care-giver, how to give help and get a break when you need it), accepting death while continuing to life, the value of hospice, and how to aid someone who is actively dying. The glossary of medical terms is especially helpful.

This book is written from a secular perspective, yet has a respect for the sacred. There unfortunately is a section on physician-assisted suicide. I searched Amazon to see if there was a similar book written from a Catholic perspective and couldn’t find one. The value of the information in this book leads me to recommend it in spite of its endorsement of suicide for those who choose it.

Do you Struggle with Perfectionism?

Do you struggle with perfectionism? What about spiritual perfectionism? Do you believe that if you don’t do all your spiritual works, God will love you less? Do you believe you can earn heaven? In her own words, Colleen Carroll Campbell has always been a bit of an over-achiever. Indeed, simply reading her author bio is exhausting. She’s an award-winning author, print and broadcast journalist, and a former presidential speechwriter. She even hosted her own television and radio shows on EWTN for eight years. She now balances working with homeschooling four children.

In The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to Trade my Dream of Perfect for God’s, she defines perfectionism as “an addiction to control and a refusal to accept imperfection in some human endeavor.” Early in Carroll Campbell’s mothering career, as she was trying to adjust to life with twins, an older mother gave her some wise advice. She told her that there was no room for perfection in motherhood. Carroll Campbell took those words to heart.

As Carroll Campbell began to study the lives of the saints, she noticed that many of them struggled with perfectionism even though they may not have used that term. Instead they “complain of scruples and pride, plead for trust and humility, and speak of their need to surrender to God’s plans and stop trying to make their own.”

Carroll Campbell intersperses this spiritual memoir with short biographies of St. Jane de Chantal, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Benedict, St. Francis, and St. Therese, all of whom could be patron saints of those who struggle with perfectionism. She explains how, with God’s help, they worked to overcome those tendencies while still getting closer to God. In following their example we can face the challenge of rejecting “spiritual perfectionism without lapsing into spiritual laziness.” 

In The Heart of Perfection, Carroll Campbell speaks with refreshing honesty about her own struggles. Many mothers will relate to the challenge of balancing work and motherhood. She wonders “why God gave me these dual passions for work and motherhood that sometimes felt so infuriatingly incompatible.” Like all mothers, she is figuring it out as she goes. 

There are no easy fixes for dealing with perfectionism, but Carroll Campbell and the saints she profiles offer much food for reflection. She encourages us to keep growing in holiness. In the end, what this world thinks of us and our achievements doesn’t matter. It is when we surrender to God’s love and God’s will that we are truly successful.

Tortured Soul - New Catholic Fiction by Theresa Linden

Today I'm pleased to be the stop on the blog tour for fellow Catholic Writer's Guild member Theresa Linden and her great new book Tortured Soul.

What happens to us after we die? Is there a connection between those in this world and the next? Can we help the souls in purgatory? Those are the questions at the heart of Theresa Linden’s suspense-filled new novel Tortured Soul.

Fred Rake was a 45 year-old mechanic when he was murdered by his 17 year-old son. Jeannie Lyons lives in the home she grew up in with her brother Edwin and his family. Both of Jeannie’s parents are deceased but she still feels deeply connected to them and the home where they all lived. But Erwin’s family is growing and he and his wife want Jeannie to move out.

Erwin picks out a house for Jeannie and he and his friend Oliver, a photographer, help her move. Unexplained noises and occurrences in the house soon make Jeannie live in fear, but Oliver is the only one who believes her and makes an effort to help her. It turns out the house Jeannie now lives in belonged to the murdered Fred Rake; God has allowed his tortured soul to visit her in an effort to help both of them.

This thought-provoking and spine-tingling novel is loosely based on the experiences of German mystic Eugenie von der Leyen (1867-01929). While Tortured Soul is entertaining and powerful in its own right, its message of the need of prayer and sacrifice for the souls in purgatory is even more important. This aspect of our Catholic faith is often neglected in our modern world. As part of the Communion of Saints, we are called to help our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and are suffering in purgatory.

Discover Marian Shrines in the United States

May is a month in which we pay special honor to Mary. That makes it a perfect time to learn more about some of the Marian shrines in the United States. In My Queen, My Mother: A Living Novena, Marge Steinhage Fenelon shares her pilgrimage to nine Marian shrines, inviting readers to join her in praying a special novena to consecrate both ourselves and our country to Mary. Fenelon wants us to “uncover the spiritual treasures of our United States” and to “reconquer [our country] for our Lord and his Mother and help others to set out to reconquer it too.”

When we consecrate ourselves or someone else to Mary, we are “asking Mary to claim that person for herself now and for always. Of course, when Mary “claims” someone for herself, she also claims that person for her Son because the two are inseparable. The only reason for Mary’s existence is to lead us to Jesus.”

Fenelon offers a history of each shrine and recalls some of the spiritual blessings that have been given there. One of the shrines that I found most interesting to learn about was the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wisconsin. This is the only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the United States. Mary appeared to 24-year-old Adele Brice in 1859. Mary told Adele to pray for the conversion of sinners and to teach the catechism. Adele ultimately began the Sisters of Good Health and several miracles were recorded as a result of her prayers. As Fenelon points out, the overriding message of this shrine is that “if it is indeed God’s will, then you’ll be given the grace, courage, and know-how to carry out your mission. What’s more, if you invoke Our Lady of Good Help, she’ll see you through it. 

I found the stories of these shrines fascinating. The only thing that I wished the book contained were images of the shrines. To help remedy that, I’m including links to the websites for the featured shrines so that you can take a virtual pilgrimage. By no means is this exhaustive list of Marian shrines in the United States. As Fenelon points out, there are many waiting for us to visit, learn about, and pray at.

• Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, St. Augustine, Florida;
• National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, New Orleans, Louisiana;
• St. Mary’s Mission and Museum, Stevensville, Montana;
• Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows, Starkenburg, Missouri;
• Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation, Carey, Ohio;
• The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, Champion, Wisconsin;
• Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, Auriesville, New York;
• House of Mary Shrine, Yankton, South Dakota; and
• Our Lady of Peace Shrine, Santa Clara, California.