I recently had the opportunity to speak at the Concordia Deaconess Conference on the topic of depression and how to care for those suffering from mental illnesses of various types.  Below is the reading list I prepared for this wonderful group of ladies.  If I have missed anything that you might consider important, please let me know!  I’d love to revise and update it along the way here.  Thanks!  -DMR

Bibliography for Deaconess Conf

Recommended Reading List on Depression

On Depression

Greene-McCreight, Kathryn. Darkness is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006.

Hart, Archibald D. Unmasking Male Depression. Thomas Nelson, 2001.

Karp, David A. Speaking of Sadness: Depression, Disconnection, and the Meanings of Illness. Oxford University Press, USA, 1997.

Peperkorn, Todd A.  I Trust When Dark My Road: A Lutheran View of Depression. St. Louis: LCMS World Relief and Human Care, 2009.

Rogers, Matt. Losing God: Clinging to Faith Through Doubt and Depression. IVP Books, 2008.

Solomon, Andrew. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. Scribner, 2002.

Stryker, William.  Visible Darkness: A Memoir of Madness.  New York: Random House, 1990.

For the Families of Loved Ones

Karp, David A. The Burden of Sympathy: How Families Cope With Mental Illness. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2002.

On the Theology of the Cross

Floysvik, Ingvar. When God Becomes My Enemy: The Theology of the Complaint Psalms. Concordia College, 1997.

Forde, Gerhard O., and Martin Luther. On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation, 1518 (Theology). Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.

Lewis, C.S.  A Grief Observed.  San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1961, 2001.

Schulz, Gregory.  The Problem of Suffering: A Father’s Thoughts on the Suffering, Dead, and Life of His Children.  Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1996.

On Pastoral Care

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Spiritual Care. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1985.

Eyer, Richard C. Pastoral Care Under the Cross: God in the Midst of Suffering. Concordia Publishing House, 1995.

Eyer, Richard C. They Will See His Face: Worship and Healing. Concordia Publishing House, 2002.

Kleinig, John W. Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today. Concordia Publishing House, 2008.

On Pastoral Burnout

Hoge, Dean R., and Jacqueline E. Wenger. Pastors in Transition: Why Clergy Leave Local Church Ministry (Pulpit and Pew Series). Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005.

Preus, Robert D. “Clergy Mental Health and the Doctrine of Justification.” Concordia Theological Quarterly 48, no. 2 & 3 (1984): 113-23.

Prayer and Devotional Works

Bansemer, Richard. Forced to Pray: God’s Chosen Under Pressure. New York: American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, 2008.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1974.

Burke, William.  Protect Us From All Anxiety: Meditations for the Depressed.  Chicago: ACTA Publications, 1998.

Deffner, Donald L. Prayers for People Under Pressure. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1992.

Gerhard, Johann. Meditations on Divine Mercy: A Classic Treasury of Devotional Prayers. Concordia Publishing House, 2003.

Kinnamon, Scot, ed.  Treasury of Daily Prayer.  St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2008.

Lewis, C.S. Reflections on the Psalms (Harvest Book). Harvest Books, 1964.

Luther, Martin. Reading the Psalms with Luther. Concordia Publishing House, 2007.

Lutheran Book of Prayer. Rev. ed. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005.

Lutheran Service Book. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006.

Reardon, Patrick Henry. Christ in the Psalms. Conciliar Press, 2000.

Steinmann, Andrew E. Is God Listening: Making Prayer A Part of Your Life. Concordia Publishing House, 2004.

A friend of mine recently pointed out this great quotation from David Karp:

“Much of depression’s pain arises out of the recognition that what might make one feel better–human connection– seems impossible in the midst of a paralyzing episode of depression. It is rather like dying from thirst while looking at a glass of water just beyond one’s reach ” — David A. Karp

This is from his book, Speaking of Sadness. I highly recommend it. He isn’t a Christian that I can tell, but he really grasps the reality of depression.

-DMR

The following is the blurb that is on page 10 of the Spring 2009 edition of Caring, from LCMS World Relief:

Free Resource Explores Clergy and Depression LCMS World Relief and Human Care’s newest resource reflects Rev. Todd Peperkorn’s personal journey through depression, I Trust When Dark My Road: A Lutheran View of Depression. LCMS WR-HC Executive Director Rev. Matthew Harrison recommends the book to all associated with professional church work: “This book offers a path to hope, and a future through Christ.” Dr. Beverly K. Yahnke, a licensed clinical psychologist, writes in the book’s forward: “When one’s mind and soul journey across the ghastly landscape of clinical depression, the adventure may challenge faith, hope, and life itself. … Peperkorn invites us into the world of a depressed Christian who remains reliant upon God’s grace.” The book is expected to be available in mid-June. To request your complimentary copy, call 800-248-1930, ext. 1380.

I am still trying to figure out if there is a way of ordering them online. LCMS World Relief is currently working on setting it up on their online store. As soon as that is available, I will give you the link. But in the meantime, I would encourage you to call and order as many as you want. The more that are ordered up front, the more helpful it is going to be for them in determining a print run. Please call them directly.

-DMR

PS Yes, my super double secret identity is now officially not secret anymore.

Darkness Is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness, by Kathryn Greene-McCreight

This is a book I am currently reading. It is written by an Episcopalian priest. Consider this your theological disclaimer. I’m certain that there are elements to the book that don’t fit a nice little Lutheran orthodox niche.

Having said that, I have found it about the best book on mental illness from a Christian perspective I have read thus far. She seems to have a pretty firm grasp of the theology of the cross and suffering, doesn’t gloss over the ugly parts, and finds hope in the resurrection.

Her lens through which she views mental illness is bipolar disorder. This is a very different beast than my own sickness, major clinical depression. This illness at different times has been called manic depressive, and many other titles which I won’t try to list. While clinical depression has lows and more lows, bipolar disorder is basically a roller coaster of ecstasy and despondency, bouncing from the two in a way which is nigh impossible to fathom for the outsider.

Here are a couple paragraphs from Greene-McCreight which I found poignant and insightful:

So, during mania, I felt completely different from the way I did at the depressive pole. Mania doesn’t hurt the way depression does. Depression meant that every breath, every thought, every moment of consciousness hurt. Every particle of my consciousness ached, throbbed, stung. Mania was the opposite: every breath, every movement, every image before my eyes, every thought sparkled, glittered magically, filled me with ecstasy. Centrifugal motion, bliss.

At this point, thanks to the medicine, I am not filled with ecstasy. Neither am I in agony. I just want to end my existence. I am tired-not physically,, no, because the medicine is working. HEaven forbid I should be physically tired. Leave it to American medicine to make a drug that provides productivity even during depressive episodes. But I am tired of existed inside of myself, I don’t want to be inside my own skin, am tired of feeling and talking and figuring out why I feel this way and that way, tired of putting off the inevitable, that I should return to the earth from which the muddy Adam was shaped. (p. 55)

Obviously this is not the portrait of a shiny, happy, victorious Christian. This is the picture of the sufferer, who struggles with the medication which continues existence and yet hates the existence it gives. I personally find it refreshing. I just get so sick of fake, infused happiness and joy. This false happiness isn’t as prevalent in Christianity now as it was ten years ago, but it is still very much there.

As I wrap up the book, I’ll try and offer a few more citations that will be of benefit, particularly looking at where we put our trust, and the interaction between medication, faith and therapy.

-DMR

I am currently working with my publisher to determine a quantity. If you were able to get copies of my book FOR FREE, for use in your congregation, district, circuit, etc, how many would you want?

No commitment. This is just an informal poll.

-DMR

Friends,

For those of you who have been on this journey with me for a while, you know that I have written a book that is in the process of being published.  Well, we are through doctrinal review, the copy editing is done, and I just got a sneak peek at the cover.  It looks great!  I don’t have a final ETA on the printing time yet, but we’re getting closer every day.

One thing that I know they/we are considering right now is making it available in both print and electronic editions.  I’m hoping we can get it out in as many formats as possible.  It’s not long.  People who suffer from depression don’t have the time or energy for tomes.  But I’m working on some of that material right now.  Any thoughts you have would be great!

Thanks for all your support, everyone.  You have all been a godsend to me over the past three years.

The title of the book, by the way, is

I Trust When Dark My Road:
A Lutheran View of Depression

-DMR

Who Switched Off My Brain?
By Dr. Caroline Leaf

A parishioner of mine recommended this book to me, and so I read it a couple weeks ago. I checked it out from the library, so I don’t have it in front of me, but I wanted to give a brief review of it at least.

The author is I believe an evangelical Christian of some stripe. Basically what the book does is tries to explain in lay terms how the brain works, and the role that what she calls toxic thoughts and emotions have on your physical, mental and spiritual well being.

I found the book extremely helpful. It is easy to read, explains a lot of the things that many of us sort of know or suspect but can’t really explain, and does so in a positive, useful fashion. If you are trying to get a grip on how your mind works and why, this is the book for you.

I would also say that it would reinforce cognitive therapy in a general sense. Which I count as a very good thing.

My only caveat on the book is that because of her american evangelical background, she looks at forgiveness simply as a choice that one makes, and not as a gift given by God through the Word and faith. This didn’t distract me overmuch, but it is a caution. This, by the way, is also my general caution regarding cognitive therapy. It is a good and salutary method of counseling, as long as we can understand the role of God’s Word in creating faith in the process.

Anyway, it’s a good book. I recommend it, and I’ll probably buy it somewhere along the way here.

-DMR

I have been blogging here for quite a while, and some of my longer term readers may remember that I have been working on a book.  The book’s working title is “I Trust When Dark My Road.”  I’ve had it largely finished for almost a year now, and I have been marketing it to publishing houses.

Here’s the story.  Two of the three larger Lutheran publishing houses (CPH & NPH) rejected it.  In one case there was no reason given really.  In the other case it was basically a marketing question.  They just weren’t sure if there would be the market for a book on depression that was geared first of all toward pastors and other professional church workers.  Basically they weren’t willing to risk an investment on that regard.  I had great experiences with both publishing houses in the process, and hope to work with them some time in the future.  But time will tell.

So that is leaving me at a crossroads.  Here are my options as I see it:

• Publish it as an e-book and just allow whatever interest there is get generated online
• Publish it through a subsidized publishing house like Winepress.
• Drop it as an exercise in healing that wouldn’t be of benefit to others.

There may be other options, but those are the ones that I see right now.

What do you think?  Is it worth pursuing as a self-published book?  If I do that, it means raising the money to pay for the up front costs.  I’m not certain how much interest there is on that, either.

Any thoughts you might have would be most welcome at this point.  I am very excited about this book.  It discusses many of the things we’ve talked about here for the last year and a half.  Basically I would describe it as a Lutheran understanding of depression and mental illness in the light of the theology of the cross.

Thanks for your comments.

-DMR

I have been blogging here for quite a while, and some of my longer term readers may remember that I have been working on a book.  The book’s working title is “I Trust When Dark My Road.”  I’ve had it largely finished for almost a year now, and I have been marketing it to publishing houses.

Here’s the story.  Two of the three larger Lutheran publishing houses (CPH & NPH) rejected it.  In one case there was no reason given really.  In the other case it was basically a marketing question.  They just weren’t sure if there would be the market for a book on depression that was geared first of all toward pastors and other professional church workers.  Basically they weren’t willing to risk an investment on that regard.  I had great experiences with both publishing houses in the process, and hope to work with them some time in the future.  But time will tell.

So that is leaving me at a crossroads.  Here are my options as I see it:

• Publish it as an e-book and just allow whatever interest there is get generated online
• Publish it through a subsidized publishing house like Winepress.
• Drop it as an exercise in healing that wouldn’t be of benefit to others.

There may be other options, but those are the ones that I see right now.

What do you think?  Is it worth pursuing as a self-published book?  If I do that, it means raising the money to pay for the up front costs.  I’m not certain how much interest there is on that, either.

Any thoughts you might have would be most welcome at this point.  I am very excited about this book.  It discusses many of the things we’ve talked about here for the last year and a half.  Basically I would describe it as a Lutheran understanding of depression and mental illness in the light of the theology of the cross.

Thanks for your comments.

-DMR

I am currently reading John Kleinig’s excellent book, Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today.  I’m not going to go into too much detail, but I will say that his notion of what he calls “receptive spirituality” really resonates.  One of the great gifts of Lutheranism is the understanding that grace is pure gift.  Not that profound, I know.  But it never, ever gets old.  For those of us to run on fumes and wonder how the day actually happens, grace is all it’s about.  Kleinig gets this, and puts this into practice when it comes to the Christian life.  I’ll try and post a few more thoughts from him along the way.

-DMR