Nowadays talks about depression have been a constant among professionals and the general public. But this is not for no reason – the WHO (World Health Organization) affirmed that depression is now considered the leading cause of disability among all health problems. A serious thing! Therefore:

When Benefactor Eusebius, back in 1947, explained to a group of spirits scholars, gathered in the spirit world [and amongst them, André Luiz] that mental problems would soon be the great human drama on earth, he made an accurate prophecy. Before long we realize that anxiolytics, sleep inducers and the like would be the most sold medications at pharmacies in the country and in the world. It impresses us know that the famous Hipoglós ® ointment, prescribed by our grandmothers and mothers, for so long, has lost sales to Rivotril ® - a powerful tranquilizer of the benzodiazepine group. 

And I dare say that the number of rashes on babies’ bottoms needing the ointment has not decreased... André Luiz brought us this information in the book In the Higher World, psychographic in the 40s by Francisco Cândido Xavier and from then on, what we have seen is a phenomenal downhill descent on the issues of the psyche. 

And when we talk about mental problems, one must take into account not only depressive syndromes (of which there are many), but the neurotic, the psychotic, the manic and anxious, too. Therefore, we are not lacking classifications and definitions for the various phobias and conflicts that plague the human mind.

Long ago, listening to a lecture by the late philosopher Ney Lobo, at a conference on Spiritist Pedagogy, we learned of an incredible story written by French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. The story told us that the scientist, in one of his surveys of American Indians, was impressed to see that during a hunt, some of the Indians stopped and closed their eyes, as if meditating, leaving the animals to flee, only moments later to return to activity. On questioning the great chief of the tribe, he heard a natural explanation: "They stopped because they realized that they had forgotten their souls. When the soul comes back, they return to the hunt. "And Ney Lobo, taking advantage of  the lesson, commented: "It's what we've all done ... We are forgetting our souls ... We forget that we are souls! But we don’t even realize it ... " 

Maybe that's why we are sick. We live as if we were a meatloaf articulated by a bunch of bones, some nerves network governed by and driven by a hunger for pleasure.

Our existential dynamics is based on three fundamental pillars, today: individualism, materialism and consumerism. 

That is, the opposite of reality, since we are reincarnated spirits, parts of a Whole, who are in the world to evolve, helping others and being helped, and in order to carry out all this we make use of matter, aggregated knowledge and love in our spiritual memory network. Depression: what evil are we talking about?

While far from the parameters of the Divine Law, pain will certainly pay us a visit. 

But not all is not depression... 

I see it as my duty to point out that; on the other hand, we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. This is because not all that is claimed to be depression actually is. 

For example, sadness is not depression but a normal state of the human soul. It is part of our emotional expressions. Many people who live their grieving processes go through times of sorrow, where the world loses its lustre, food does not taste good, and parties lose their joy. After some time, when the person can reposition his or her love in the world, the mourning will be done with and life will carry on, with all its dynamism. 

There is a strong belief within common sense that if a person is weepy and has no appetite for a while, he or she has entered depression. However, this is not true. 

The diagnosis of depression may occur only if the person has five or more of the symptoms and signs described below for at least two weeks: 

* Depressed mood;

* Discouragement, loss of interest;

* Appetite changes;

* Sleep changes;

* Anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure);

* Fatigue, loss of energy;

* Pessimism;

* Low self-esteem;

* Impaired concentration.  

Within the sub-types cases of depression, we can find situations which are mild, medium and severe, and in difficult cases, they cause profound apathy with suicidal ideations, often leading to death.

Causes of Evil  

So far we have spoken about symptoms. But what causes them?These invariably, though clearly marked by environmental and genetic issues, reside in its deepest genesis, in the soul’s basement. 

Certainly we are influenced by the environment in which we operate; however, it will be up to the reincarnated spirit, to take the reins of existence, changing the current standards. Jean Paul Sartre once said that what matters most is not what they have done to us, but what we do with what they had done to us. 

 It is the awareness followed by transforming action - critical to our inner improvement.

I make it clear that this is not a lonely fight, but with all the tools available in the world, such as psychotherapy, spiritual treatment and even drugs when indicated. Physical exercises are also welcome. 

Another important point: Even in the spiritist movement, we see uninformed people, commenting that so-and-so has developed a particular disease or nurtured emotional wounds or carried out a wrong in the past, and so on. With such a reductionist look, they give the verdict of the case, as if they were God himself, knowing all things in Heaven and Earth. Let’s notice that if only grief alone caused cancer, as many proclaim, how could we explain the fact that dogs develop the disease? Anyone who owns a pet knows that pets do not know how to nurture emotional wounds, quite the contrary, and even so, sometimes they develop this disease. So, all judgment is dispensable, being up to our fellow brothers of the path to love and help everyone, including those who suffer [a golden lesson taught by Jesus], knowing that every illness has many causes in the body at its base and that therefore we should not try discovering that which is sometimes not capable of detection by now. 

Joanna de Angelis, through Divaldo Franco’s mediumship says that with respect to depression, in particular, nostalgic states of the soul would be the crux of the matter. The reincarnated spirit keeps emotions connected with certain happy occurrences (often unconscious) unable to accept the sometimes difficult current reality. As a result, we see the difficulty of appropriateness, loss of joy, of enthusiasm, of dreams. A person starts to live day by dragging day, as if carrying a heavy burden.Joanna de Angelis also affirms that every illness has physical and emotional issues. 

With regard to the biological part, we must pay attention to the fact that drugs, when indicated, should serve just as a moratorium, and never as something that will cure a person of depression. 

When we become addicted to depressing thoughts, we just end up causing a brain atavism which will draw us to the same mental and physical behaviours.For example, whether a person imagines himself as guilty, unhappy or incompetent, after a long time, the synapses begin to repeat themselves indefinitely in a closed network.Then, one seeks a therapist, going on to receive monitoring, deciding also on spiritual treatment and realizing that, even so, one cannot change one’s feelings and depressive thoughts. 

In this case, the drug will enter as a moratorium - it acts on the central nervous system, disrupting this atavism, untying the person in this plot created by themselves.

Then that person must change their mental pattern to truthfully improve. 

He who, from the use of drugs, goes on viewing life with more joy and enthusiasm, will after some time, be able to reduce the medication dose, to stop the drugs altogether [but always under medical supervision, of course]. 

However, if the person receives the medication and still remains in the mental addictions of every order; winding up in gossip and in endless futile conversations with others; they will need the medicine for long time, even for a lifetime, presenting the most serious crises on some occasions. 

What we should keep in mind is that the medicine does not change our thinking. 

That which changes the thought pattern is the Spirit - the seat of all knowing and willing.

Guilt, regret and repair 

It is important to note that the issues of guilt and remorse should be looked at carefully in cases of depression. 

I often explain that guilt, in its origin, is not a bad thing, as it is to do with awareness of mistakes. Without it, evolution of being would be impossible. However, after having awareness, a positive decision is urged: reparation. Vicious thoughts, in closed circuit, setting remorse, eventually end up worsening the situation, causing other ailments. The guy who passes into self-punish with remorse, believing themselves to be paying something back, is indeed stifling his life and still complicating the others who live with them. 

Reparation must be the way; it can be in any sector of human life. We cannot always repair a mistake done to those we have harmed, but the apostle has taught us that love covers a multitude of sins, i.e. we must love the world with all our efforts and Divine Justice will understand that we have learned the lesson lived in such a positive, productive, and intelligent way. 

Spiritual Treatment: cleansing the mind and body 

The treatments offered by the Spiritist Doctrine are of enormous value to all who need to become realigned in the material, spiritual and perispiritual level. In the case of psychological syndromes, such treatment cleans the entire nervous system, aiding in the recovery of the individual, who happens to respond positively to other treatments in progress. In cases where there are spiritual obsessions, the spiritist treatment works as a mental shield – it is the moratorium within the spiritual field, so that we can become realigned towards life.

We have, in serious Spiritist Centres, Christians committed with the bases of Kardec, passes  (a type of laying on of hands healing), magnetised water, the study of the Gospel and the Spiritist postulates, opportunities for charitable and educational work, etc. The person can enlist their name in various activities; as indicated by the workers of the fraternal assistance department; feeling improvements from the beginning of these.

When we study Spiritism seriously, many answers arise even for questions that were not even previously asked. Understanding our essence, our goals and our needs is a key issue at the risk of losing the sacred evolutionary opportunity today, whilst we sleep in the networks of ignorance.

We must move forward without self-pity, because this feeling will undermine our psychic forces.

We are not poor people, we are gods, Jesus told us! And if we are divine beings, if we have the divine spark, we do not need pity, but confidence.

Dear reader, if self-confidence does not exist within you, you need to develop it.

For God, our Father, trusts in you, in me, in us!

And if God trusts all of His creation, who are we to doubt?