ISBN: 9780687014637

Clergy are at as much risk of encountering depression as anyone, yet they often find it very difficult to admit their depression and understand it. This is the case partly because parishi… More...

Clergy are at as much risk of encountering depression as anyone, yet they often find it very difficult to admit their depression and understand it. This is the case partly because parishioners' expectations of their pastor's emotional and spiritual health are often so high: You are so strong and confident; You work so hard and do so much; You possess such remarkable faith. In the face of such affirmation, it is difficult to admit one's depression. Being depressed is taken as weakness, and admitting one's weakness injures self-esteem. Better to hurt than to acknowledge ourselves as human. Yet, as Robert Randall points out in this insightful and uplifting book, rather than ignore or vilify depression, we should face it simply and honestly, acknowledging its destructive power while honoring the potential for growth it can signal. Depression can lead us to internalize, or act-in our feeling of despair, resulting in restlessness, sleeplessness, hopelessness, and physical problems. It can also result in acting-out behaviors, such as betrayal of confidences or sexual improprieties. Depression can, however, become a crucible for new life. It can prompt us to healthier behavior by becoming a condition for knowing what is true and valuable, and by deepening our empathy for others and for ourselves. This book will help clergy and those who work with them grasp the seriousness of depression, see the signs that one is entering a depressed state, and find the way out of this valley to a renewal of personal health and one's vocation as a servant of God. Media >, [PU: Abingdon Press]<