Book Review – Depression: looking up from the stubborn darkness
Image: Depression: looking up from the stubborn darkness by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 2 out of 10. A nonscientific book with spiritual viewpoints on depression and emotions.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD / 3.15.2022; No. 79
Disclaimer: Yes, I am a physician, but I’m not your doctor and this article does not create a doctor-patient relationship. This article is for educational purposes and should not be seen as medical advice. You should consult with your physician before you rely on this information. This post also contains affiliate links. Please click this LINK for the full disclaimer.
Star Rating – 2 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author
Edward T. Welch
About the author
Edward Welch, MDiv, PhD, is an author of several mental health books from a spiritual perspective and a faculty member/counselor at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF). He obtained his MDiv from Biblical Theological Seminary and his PhD in clinical neuropsychology from the University of Utah.
General description
Depression: looking up from the stubborn darkness is a book on theological perspectives on depression and emotions. This book is considered to be a second edition to the original work published in 2004 under the title Depression: A Stubborn Darkness–Light for the Path. Dr. Welch categorizes his chapters into the following sections:
Introduction
Depression is Suffering
Listening to Depression
Other Help and Advice
Hope and Joy: Thinking God’s Thoughts
Unique and most important aspects
The most helpful aspect of the book Depression: looking up from the stubborn darkness is Chapter 20, which argues against suicide. Unfortunately, many other aspects of this book were not helpful.
The author is clearly biased against psychiatric medication and casts doubt about medical treatments for depression. Even his clinical vignette is about a person who is not getting better from medication. In his chapter on antidepressant medications, he states, “If you are depressed and not taking medication, you could try medication immediately, or you could delay that decision. Once you start medication, you tend to stay locked into it. If you decide to wait, use the time to ‘take your soul to task’ and relearn the gospel.” To the best of my knowledge, there is no medical research indicating that a person should delay treatment for major depressive disorder. Instead, medical research clearly shows that the faster you get rid of depression, the better the outcome (Kraus, et al. Translational Psychiatry. 2019).
Many of the chapters started on depression in the first few paragraphs but then wandered away from depression and appeared instead to be addressing general problems, a variety of emotions, or doubts that Christians experience, thus making the book less relevant to the topic of depression and, instead, becoming generic Christian advice.
The author did not offer specific action steps to the reader to deal with depression until chapter 23 (of 26 total chapters). Even then, the author did not recommend any standard treatments, such as medications or psychotherapy for depression. In steering the reader away from evidence-based treatments, I am concerned that the author increases rather than decreases the stigma of depression among Christians. The majority of the book is spent trying to convince the reader that they should have hope and joy if they would only try harder to fix their eyes on God and the Bible.
Best quote
“If you are being honest, you will always find sin in your life. Everyone does. That doesn’t mean that sin caused your depression.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in a book with spiritual perspectives on depression and are skeptical of traditional medical care and psychotherapy would likely enjoy Depression: looking up from the stubborn darkness.
Who would not enjoy this book?
Readers who are looking for a Christian book with a balanced view on depression that successfully decreases stigma and encourages them to access treatments proven by research are unlikely to enjoy Depression: looking up from the stubborn darkness.
Conclusion
Depression: looking up from the stubborn darkness is a nonscientific book with spiritual viewpoints on depression and emotions.
