#14: Have you ever understood the difference between situational and clinical depression? My guest, David Anderson, had no idea there were two different types until he was diagnosed with clinical depression. David always felt an underlying level of sadness but never really thought there was anything that abnormal. David chats to us today about his road to recovery and how his faith and religion made him feel a lot of shame because of his diagnosis. In David’s faith community, depression is often related to not having a strong enough relationship with God. So it took a lot of research and discovery for David to not feel like a failed Christian.
David is a multi-passionate writer of fiction and nonfiction. He has a Master’s of Theological Studies (MTS) and a Master of Theology (ThM) from Duke Divinity School, and a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the University of South Carolina. His book, Dark Nights of the Soul: Reflections on Faith and the Depressed Brain, won first place in the Writer’s Digest Self Published Ebook Awards, nonfiction category in 2019. His next project is a novel set in ancient Rome called Through Fear of Death.
In this episode we talk about:
- Becoming an ordained minister
- Getting diagnosed with clinical depression
- The shame of being depressed as a Christian
- David’s book Dark Nights of the Soul
- How David’s faith affected his experience of depression
- David’s principles for recovery
- David’s advice for people who think they might be clinically depressed
Podcast Resources:
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Connect with Jenelle Tremblett: @jenelle_tremblett
Connect with the Podcast: @ebbandglowpodcast
Connect with David Anderson:
David’s Book: Dark Nights of the Soul
David’s YouTube Channel: Almost Ordained