There are two extreme schools of thought in Christians circles regarding depression:

1) that it is spirtually weak and sinful, hence it requires discipline and confession;

2) or that it is a mental sickness. Drugs are the most compassionate answer to relieve the suffering.

Both extremes are, well, extreme! The following books are filled with compassionate, balanced truth for those suffering from depression.

Depression: A Stuborn Darkness by Dr. Ed Welch

What I like the best about this book was the breakdown Dr. Welch had of the physical and spiritual symptoms of depression. He outlines Biblically what we are morally accountable for as sin and what is a “health” issue that is not sin, but may reveal a sinful response in us.

“The jolting descriptions of pain are best described as physical symptoms. It certainly is not a sin to experience pain….I would suggest that emotional numbness is just another form of pain…Depressed people can still be thankful and confident in God, yet have emotions that feel dead.” Ed Welch

Will Medicine Stop the Pain? Finding God’s Healing for Depression, Anxiety, and Other Troubling Emotions  by Elyse Fitzpatrick

This book details the pitfalls and side-effects of depression medication. It offers help for those wishing to stop taking the drugs, and truthful insight for those thinking of starting. It also offers an alternative route, based on a relationship with Jesus.

When you are the midst of a life crisis, it is always comforting to read the stories of people who have “been there.” This book offers that comfort.