Depression afflicts people from all walks of life, religions, economic backgrounds, and areas of the country. It doesn’t discriminate and it doesn’t give warning. LDS author G. G. Vandagriff came to know depression very intimately over a period of years, wondering why she felt so hopeless and not understanding how to pull herself out of the black cloud that enveloped her.
In her new release, “Deliverance from Depression: Finding Hope and Healing Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ,” G. G. allows us into her private thoughts as she recounts the years she spent suffering. A wife and a mother, she had duties to perform and people to care for, but there were days when she wasn’t able to function at all. She tells us of her despair but also of her joy as she was led by inspiration to a doctor who prescribed her a new drug, one that would be the answer to unlocking the rest of her recovery.
We also read chapters by Greg, G.G.’s son, who also went through a long and debilitating bout with depression, and David, G. G.’s husband, who did his best to keep things afloat while his wife and son were sinking. By reading accounts from all three, we gain a clear understanding not only of what the patient thinks and feels, but the affect the illness has on those around them.
I’m a firm believer that the Atonement can remove all our ills, physical as well as emotional. However, this book couples the healing power of the Atonement with the careful administering of the right prescriptions by a qualified medical doctor. Some maladies are so severe, it’s important to get medical treatment. Other afflictions can be worked through between ourselves and the Lord without needing medication, and we need to strive to hear the voice of the Spirit clearly to know which is our best course of action, and then to have the courage to pursue that course.
I appreciated the honesty shared by the members of this family, and I’m sure their stories will inspire many others who are suffering, giving them hope and a direction, and most of all, helping them to reconnect with the Master Healer who can lead them to what they need.
(This book was published in 2008 by Covenant Communications.)
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