Overcoming Depression — Neil T. Anderson

The Personal Reality of Depression and the Need for Prayer

Began this is a Subject on depression and Before we go to prayer about that It's kind of fascinating because I'm trying to finish a book on I was supposed to finish that over Christmas. But I had rotator cuff surgery on my shoulder.

I had a cancerous mold taken off and I had to Dismiss one of the most loyal employees ever had. I was so physically impaired and depressed. I couldn't write it and So Let's pray the father thank you for your presence here for your love for us and father, we just look to you to be the source of life and truth and and acknowledge that father and pray that you just fill us with your grace and your mercy that what we have to say here would would be eternally true and Profitable for reproved correction and training and righteousness, so we'll thank you for it now in Jesus name.

Amen. I Remember several years ago when I was a pastor That We had a gal in our church named Marty and Marty Was clinically depressed. I mean that was her classification. And one day my wife went to Marty and said Marty.

Why don't you go see Neil and she said him He's always up. Well, isn't that who you should see then? I mean if you were sick, would you find the most snivelly mace aided wasted doctor in town and ask him what their health secret is?

I Mean, you know if you're down you should probably learn from what somebody's doing who is up, right? Wow, but that's not the problem. You know, the problem is as I see it She couldn't believe that somebody who's always up could understand and enter in and empathize with somebody Who's always down now?

There's some truth to that. I want to state that up front and I've observed this about the church that when I go to God, I Receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And I want to suggest that our churches are not always perceived as a house of mercy.

The Church as a House of Mercy and Grace

Local 12-step program a Secular counselor the local bar May show more mercy than what we've received in a lot of our churches. But I don't think they have any grace to help at time of need. I don't think they have an adequate answer to really help these people get out of that a Lot of emotion a lot of empathy a lot of Catharsis, but is there an answer?

And in most cases not there's a lot of coping Skills that you learn to somehow learn to live with your limitations and but I I think we got a lot more to offer Than that. Well, how can I go to God by the way?

I mean after all would he really understand I mean if he wants a new wife he can create one. Right. Is he ever depressed? No, the joy of the Lord is our strength. So he's never depressed. Could he understand?

Remember Jesus folks. See that's the context in Hebrews. We don't have a high priest who cannot identify with us. He's been tempted in every way. He's the man of sorrows. He suffered pain. You think you've got problems.

He had the whole world against him. Yeah, you think you've yet, you know Shed to the point of death, you know, he was crucified. So yeah, I think he understands. I you know, I We got the Psalms to somewhat prove that you know one of his prophets and and yet there's a stigma in our churches that We don't know how to respond to somebody who's got some kind of mental Problem the physical ones.

We're pretty good at you know, you broke your leg. Oh, I'll sign your cast and And I'll help get some meals for you at your house. You know, and we we really are pretty good at responding to people who have physical problems, but emotional ones.

Boy, they're depressed. Well, do you enjoy being around depressed people? No, they don't enjoy being around you either. That's the interesting thing about it. It's It's they want to withdraw see that's part of their problem in this and but we don't know how to respond we can't sign their brain and That's really true.

I mean that's it's it's we're very deficient as the body of Christ to know how to respond to somebody who's suffering Emotionally and yet we are in the presence of a blues epidemic. I Do not say that lightly a study was done.

Oh. The end of the 70s 80s by 1980 or something like it there and according to their study was is that? Depression Has increased tenfold in the century of which we're living in in the last ten years from 1985 to 95.

I just read this in our local paper a number of doctor visits in which patients receive prescriptions for mental problems rose from 32 .7 million to forty five point six million. Visits in which depression was diagnosed rose from eleven million to twenty point four million almost doubled in ten years now keep in mind not everybody goes to a medical doctor to be treated for depression, but a doubled.

Medications just for depression. You're talking a huge percentage of your population. Bipolar illnesses are estimated to be about point five to one percent of a population general depression about ten percent.

Well, frankly, that's what. Ten percent two hundred and Twenty-six million people who are presently depressed and a lot of them are going to your churches. Some of them are pastors. And yet it's kind of fascinating to me.

That is an emotional problem. It is seen as it's a downer. Well, if you were a good Christian, then surely wouldn't be depressed. If you were doing right you wouldn't be depressed and I said I'll tell you something a Person who's struggling with depression would have a lot more identification and sympathy for the prophets of the Bible.

Then somebody who's got a mental problem of arrogancy or pride or self-sufficiency. You won't find a lot of companions amongst the Saints in the Bible with that one, but you would find a lot. You know, Jeremiah was depressed a lot.

So was David. Let me read David. Listen to this. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation. There is no health in my bones because of my sin for my iniquities are gone over my head as a heavy burden.

They weigh too much for me. My wounds grow foul and fester because of my folly. I'm bent over and gent and greatly bowed down. I go mourning all day long for my loins are filled with burning. There is no soundness in my flesh.

I am benumbed and badly crushed. I groan because of the agitation of my heart. Lord all my desire is before you and my sign is not hidden from you. My heart throbs my strength fails me the light of my eyes even that has gone from me.

My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague and my kinsmen stand afar off. Those who seek my life lay snares for me and those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction and they despise treachery all day.

Long, but I like a deaf man do not hear. I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth. Yes, I'm like a man who does not hear and in whose mouth are no arguments for I hope in you Oh Lord. You will answer Oh Lord my God for I said may they not rejoice over me.

Who when my foot slips would magnify themselves against me for I am ready to fall and my sorrow is continually before me. And I? Confess my iniquity. I'm full of anxiety because of my sin. That's a depressed man.

Recognizing the Symptoms and Severity of Depression

I mean almost every sign of depression that we've identified today are evident in that song. Let me list the major symptoms of depression. I don't think I have time to write this down, but let me just just listen.

For what I've done we developed a scale. And one of the other and tried to divide some way of test to somewhat determine the severity of depression. But here are the things that really mark depression.

I mean, this is pretty well uniformly perceived. Low energy. Difficulty to sleep or 20 that's all they can do. Just sleep. Withdrawal from activities. No desire for sex. Physical aches and pains. Loss of appetite.

So if you got a sex problem an overeating problem, just get depressed and. No, don't do that. Obviously the obvious one emotionally it's just an intense sense of sadness just sad. I don't know how better to say it sad.

Despairing that's a little different. A despairing irritable a low emotional talent. I just can't take it anymore. Withdraw don't just from people. Almost thinking that will help them and tragically their answer is is to somehow get involved again, but no mental peace.

Consistently, you'll hear that. I just I have no mental peace. I can't turn off my thoughts. I and they're all negative or scrambled. A low sense of worth. Pessimistic towards the future. Perceive their circumstances as negative and threatening to them.

I'm going down. Self-destructive. To the point where the thinking is is I would just as soon check out. The world is better off. My family would be better off if I wasn't here and I'd be better off, too.

Suicidal Despair and Depression Beyond Circumstances

I May just read a little thing. I stuck in here from Leo Tolstoy. Who was one of Russia's great philosophers and a Christian? He said the thought of suicide came to me as naturally then as the thought of improving life had come to me before.

This thought was such a temptation that I had to use cunning against myself in order not to go through it. With it too hastily. I did not want to be in a hurry only because I wanted to use all my strength to untangle my thoughts.

If I could not get them untangled I told myself I could always go ahead with it. And there I was a fortunate man. Carrying a rope from my room where I was alone every night as I undressed. So that I would not hang myself from the beam between the closets and I quit going hunting with a gun.

So that I would not be able to easily tempted to rid myself of life. I myself did not know what I wanted. I was afraid of life. I struggled to get rid of it and yet I hope for something from it and this was happening to me at a time.

From all indications. I should have been considered a completely happy man. This was when I was not yet 50 years old. I had a good loving and beloved wife. Fine children and a large estate that was growing and expanding.

Without any effort on my part more than ever before I was respected by friends and acquaintances praised by strangers and I could claim a certain renown without really deluding myself. In other words, his depression was not due to the circumstances of life at that time.

His circumstances were incredibly favorable. This was not an external problem. This was an internal problem. Now, how do we respond to that? Here's the man who was seeking God and he was and Yet he found himself in this State of wanting to check out of life of Suicide thoughts are very common as we look at those issues.

Biological, Spiritual, and Emotional Dimensions of Depression

Now the tension that we have in depression, obviously is when is this really truly a biological issue and when is that any a Spiritual your mental emotional issue and I want to just kind of address that if I can for a moment Elliot said the endless cycle of idea and action and this invention and this experiment Brings knowledge emotion, but not of stillness.

Knowledge of speech but not of silence knowledge of words and Ignorance of the word all our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance. All our ignorance brings us nearer to death. But nearness to death no nearer to God where is the life we have lost in living.

Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? The cycles of heaven in 20 centuries bring us further from God and nearer to the dust. That's kind of true.

We're living in a time When knowledge is Exploding on see yeah, I remember about 15 years ago. They said knowledge is doubling every five years. No, it's two and a half and. And that's increasing so much more rapidly with the Internet.

I mean what you have in your you have more information in your Light in your computer sitting on your desk through the Internet than any library in the world ever had, you know ten years ago. Yeah, it what's?

Accessible to us. I mean the explosion of knowledge. But not wisdom. Professoring ourselves to be wise we probably have become fools. No more closer to thing. I said with all of this knowledge with all this medicate medication.

Why is depression then on the increase and not the decrease? If we think we have an answer then where's the proof of that? Well, let's look at the biological aspects of this thing. I mean first of all when it makes sense that God would create my inner man to match my outer man.

The Image of God, the Fall, and the Human Person

I mean obviously the answer is Yes, you know, of course my outer man serves my inner man if you would have that. And through my outer man my physical person. I have five senses that relates to the world around me.

I can taste touch smell hear feel and see. And when I was created in the image of God as we all were and but when Adam fell We lost a relationship with God and at that moment, you know not having the presence of God in their life.

No the knowledge of God's ways. We entered into this world dead in their trespasses and sins and we learned to live our lives independent of God now. We all did we all learn differently because you were born you made my little computer up here was programmed from the external world initially.

I'm a grandpap right now. I it's one of the greatest times in my life. You know, everything I ever heard about being a grandparent. It's true. It's. You know, my grandparents get along so great with grandchildren they have a common enemy in.

Fortunately, that's not true either but it was. It is a great time of life for me and I see my little Sammy he come into this world and He's got a clean slate. There's nothing programmed into his computer.

I mean He doesn't have he's getting now. He's three years old. He's got a vocabulary and he's in he's talking but it was all because it was assimilated from the environment of which he raised. Guess which language he's speaking French.

No, he's not. It's English. Of course, I mean but because. That's what he picked up from the environment. I mean we didn't formally try to teach him that he started to learn and you know. What is said subject is before the predicate?

It's really interesting some languages of the world the other way around. Where do you learn it? He just assimilated it from the environment. And so, you know, the heart is deceitful and desperately sick and you know before I come to Christ.

Why simply because it got programmed from the world now his world is a pretty good world. You know his flesh doesn't look that rank right now. Because all of his uncles and aunts and cousins and moms and pops and grandparents all love the Lord.

He is he lives in almost a cocoon. He's gonna face some hard reality out there someday. I mean we protect very carefully what he watches on television and One night, you know, I mean he we saw just I wouldn't perceive it as particularly scary movie but this spider was going after this person and You know Sammy was horrified.

Well, he's gonna you know, find out a lot of spiders out there real world. He hasn't seen him yet. Everybody he knows is good and kind and loves him and it's so evident the way he lives. He walks down the mall.

Says hi to everybody. I think they look at him. Uh-huh, you know, I know. Then I see another kid he's raised where he doesn't know who his dad is never saw his dad and his mother's got multiple partners and You know just an incredibly sick situation.

Which one of those two children need Jesus the most? They both need Jesus exactly the same. Please don't ever miss that point but one is going to have more difficulty than the other and in terms of the development of their mind and.

And the issues they're going to have to deal with later on in life and without question I'm saying this to you because when I come to Christ Nobody pushed the clear button up here everything that got programmed into my memory is still there.

They don't therefore no longer be conformed to this world. But be transformed by the renewing of our mind and we all have to do that and and there can almost be a danger of having too much going for you at that time because.

You don't perceive your need of Christ as much as the other one does. Even though you need to as much as the other one does. Are you with me here? That's why it's hard for a rich man to enter in the kingdom of God not because the money is a problem of because he is self-sufficient and and they don't see their need for total dependence upon God and It's hard to reach them for that reason.

They don't perceive their need. They will someday and Be there for him. That's that's why funerals are. God's on a great platform. They have an answer for everything life and it's just amazing. You sit there do a funeral and you can first time I did that as a pastor I walked they walked by what Christian non-christian Christian.

I mean. It was just that obvious to me and it wasn't that they were crying. That wasn't the issue. There's just a discernment factor. I just you can just see oh my gosh. No, hope. Oh, no, hope. Oh, no.

And it's really amazing. Well, anyway in the way God created us. The correlation of the outer man in the inner man is rather obvious. You have the brain and the mind. Now there's something fundamentally difference between the brain and the mind.

Brain, Mind, and the Software of Thought

The brain is meat. When you die physically, it will return to dust. And you'll be outside from the body present with the Lord, but you wouldn't be there mindless. The mind is really a function of the soul.

Now the parallel here is critically to understand because you have such a wonderful parallel between the hardware and the software. My computer analogy. You were handed a computer your computer continued to develop because it's organic.

About the age of 12. Formal operations begins that a child at the age of 12 about that age can think as an adult and sometimes better. Actually your neurons start to die off by the millions. Now don't let that frighten you too much because you got a hundred billion of them so.

But it really is true that formal operations begins they can think. As maturely as any adult can they haven't learned as much yet, but they can think. Have the same capacity to think sometimes maybe better.

Do you know how you can tell somebody is 50 years old or older? Their VCR goes 12 12. And If you want that picker program ask your junior high friend to come over he'll do it for you and. They're actually the visual Orientation that our young people are getting.

I mean if you're my age or older It's hard to enter into that because they could they grew up with that and for us. It's it's harder to perceive that. It's just you know part of our learning process. Well anyway.

That brain-mind combination now. See what we're at in our culture is is is that if you've got some kind of an emotional problem or mental problem? Pretty much the assumption is it's a hardware problem.

I Don't think so. I think it's a software problem. I Think it's a software problem. Actually, can you have a hardware problem? Oh, no question about that organic brain syndrome down syndrome Alzheimer's disease are all clearly hardware problems.

Now the question is do you have a more miniature hardware problem? In other words, you're a serotonin your neurotransmitters. How do we explain that now? Let me just little brain chemistry here for a moment.

Hundred billion brain cells neurons. That little every little brain cell. It's not like your whole mind is computer. Almost every little cell is a computer. It's really fascinating there are many many dendrites input into it and then you have one output through the axon and.

Then there's a gap between that and other computers called the snaps Synapse or however you say that and in every little brain cell that comes out the mitochondria Create neurotransmitters and they fire across into other dendrites.

Each little cell is is connected to. Just a multitude of other self if you got a hundred billion neurons connected to Six or so hundred other what once do you realize the complexity of this thing? It's absolutely amazing.

What exists right in there now? What they haven't able to pretty well ascertain is that when a person is depressed something has happened to the production of the neurotransmitters. And you got two different issues here going on.

Bipolar Depression, Medication, and Medical Support

One bipolar is different from unipolar bipolar manic depression which affects 0 .5 to 1 of our population. The brain chemistry is different. You have sodium chloride ions that seem to increase in polarization when people are manic depressed.

And they've been able to lithium has been the drug of choice for people who are typically bipolar depressed. If you're not a medical doctor, it's going to go over your head right now for the simple reason you can't prescribe it they'd have to see a medical doctor to get a lithium and that's.

And very carefully used in that regard and you can misdiagnose that one and do some people some damage. But for some it's maintained life for them almost. It is there's a gal. I forget her name right now, but she's an expert in this area.

Here she herself is has been manic depressive all of her life. She's written several books and she's also equated how much the people who have mania have been and so. Incredibly artistic and you start going back and looking in history.

How many people had bipolar depressions. There were artists. And musicians and authors and writers and highly creative during their periods of mania. Mania, but but the lows are so low. All they want to do is die.

Just dark dark periods. Well, she had it and now she's written some several good books on it and quite an expert and I've used some of her resources in doing that but She also resisted taking lithium for a number of time only added to her dilemma but in in one of her books, she also said that.

That was not enough for her. She needed somebody to help her on scramble her difficulty of thoughts. Now in the development of Antidepressants to to help people's body chemistry, by the way, let's let's settle this right now.

You got a physical body. That that needs the doctor in the hospital. You have a spiritual part of yourself that needs the church. God created both provided both for us I believe and there are problems that are clearly physical that that need a physical answer for.

And so so he broke the leg, you know, I'll sign your caps, but please see the doctor, you know. Now when you get to this issue of the brain, however, it gets a little more complex than that. As especially as a matter of which is establishing what in other words what is.

It's very difficult to establish causation which came first the chicken or the egg. Do I have a physical problem that originally? Originated as a spiritual or a mental problem or drive a mental problem that originated as a physical problem.

In other words, it might depress because my neurotransmitters went haywire when they first started to develop antidepressants. MAOI inhibitors. Were the first and they've kind of fallen off the market a little bit.

It was really tried to prevent some enzyme that would kill off the neurotransmitters and then the tricyclic antidepressants came. And they were big. Now you've got a lot more who are addressing Particular neurotransmitters primarily serotonin.

Which you've heard a lot about so neurotransmitters one of at least 40 different neurotransmitters that you have isn't you don't have just one? But there's a variety of them and The thinking along that line is is anywhere from preserve preserving their shelf life to stimulating the production of them, etc.

Now, I mean, you know, they this is no one stuff. I'm you know, and I'm a novice at this thing I've read on it and so I'm not ignorant about it but much of the Xantex and all that kind of stuff today is primarily there now now contrast antidepressants from tranquilizers or Antipsychotic medication which in a simple term are downers.

They're trying to Narcotize you because you're all stressed out. There is no pill that will cure anxiety and doctors will tell you that but you're in such a Frazzled state right now that somehow or another I got to reduce that tension in your life.

Hopefully so that maybe you can think better and function better. They will tell you that that will cure it but but it will give you some stability in your life. But potentially antidepressants are not downers.

They're actually the opposite they're to try to stimulate brain activity so that you can think more clearly again and. And today by and large antidepressants Are pretty safe. You can find out what any psychiatrist has but going in the Christian in the Christian any secular bookstore and Get a pill book and it will tell you you know what they're being prescribed for what?

The dosage they would recommend. What the side effects are what the cross-effects are. In other words if you take this medication don't take this or do this. And frankly if you're in ministry helping people you ought to have one of those books because if people come in and they're medicated.

And take a look at what they're doing and chances are you can work backwards and find out what the diagnosis is. Now if you think for a moment that the best psychiatrists in this country have a precise way of measuring brain chemistry.

You are wrong and they won't admit that you know, it's a guessing game by and large here. Try this and you're looking at the symptoms and prescribing something that seems to help relieving it. Now first of all, let's say something do antidepressants work and in terms of at least Masking or helping you with problem depression.

Yes, no question about it. I mean you'd be foolish to to argue against that and but is That the cause or is that the effect? Now, let's look what's going on with my mind here a little bit because my mind essentially is what programs the computer.

It's the software. Are Coming off of your brain and your spinal cord your brain primarily is your central nervous system is a peripheral nervous system. But don't make this complex. And you hang with me here.

It's really quite simple. But coming off your central nervous system is a peripheral nervous system that has two very distinct channels. One is somatic one is the autonomic somatic nervous system. Is that which regulates all your skeletal muscular movements all of that which you have volitional control over.

I'm moving my hands like this because my mind is telling me to do that. But I can tell it stop. That obviously would correlate with your well looking at your soul here following me. Then you have an autonomic nervous system.

So called because it's automatic that's what regulates all your glands. You don't say to your heart be be be be or to adrenal glands adrenal adrenals, I write that that I I mean yeah, it just does that and.

And you have no volitional control over that not directly you don't. It just it's autonomic. That's why it's called that regulates all of your glands and In the same way, you don't have volitional control over your emotions.

Think you do try once. I've never liked that person. But for now, I'm gonna like them. I mean, there's no way that you can will yourself to do that. And the good news is if we understood correctly, there's nowhere in Scripture requiring you to do that either you you're required by God to love One another but that's really nothing to do with your emotions.

That really is a the grace of God to love the unlovely to do what is right with another person whether you feel like it or Not the amazing part about it is is if you do what is right? Won't your countenance be raised and that's amazing.

If if you do the loving thing for that person after a while you may find out that your emotions will follow suit. But if you're waiting to do something right until you feel like loving them, I said you'll never get there folks.

It's the wrong order here. Now. Let me just give you one illustration your adrenal glands Are really a God-given thing to to respond to the the pressures of life. Because when the pressures of life come your adrenal glands to create a cortisol my hormone into your bloodstream.

Which is your adrenal? Adrenal glands adrenaline, that's what it is. And Or epinephrine this is what the other term for that is but anyway. That's where you get your fight-flight kind of response now if Stress persists too long then stress for you becomes distress your adrenal glands break down.

They can't keep up with the system and you probably will become sick. Now I remember several years ago that Holmes and Rawl came out with the scale and the artificially put death of a spouse which they saw as the most stressful thing that you could live through and Artificially named that a hundred and then they looked at a whole variety of other stressful situations moving death of a child divorce all kinds of stuff like that and and just put numbers on them as stressing their point was was that If you in a year's time Could add up all the stressful things that you went through and total them up and it came to 300 you were going to get.

Now there's some truth to that but I I think it missed a major major point. Why is it that two people can perceive the same stressful situation and one flourish and the other will fall apart? Is it because one has superior adrenal glands?

Now there is some difference but that is not the major difference. No, the major difference was not the difference in the adrenal gland. It's right in here because we are not affected by life itself. We're affected by how we perceive life and how we interpret that data.

Faith, Perception, and the Battle of the Mind

Here's the stressful situation. Israelites over here Philistines over here and a little valley in between them and said well, we don't want to have a bloodbath here. Why don't we just send our champions out?

Now? The problem is they got a giant you don't and. And so they're all stressed out over here and I can understand that and then whoa, what are we going to do? You know, they got a giant and and David comes along says how dare you taunt the armies of the Living God?

Now here here's exactly the same situation for both of them. David saw the giant in relationship to God the Israelites saw the giant in relationship to themselves and stressed out. Now can faith in God?

Affect us like that and the answer of course it can. If you truly believe that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you that he will supply your needs with God. All things are possible, but don't worry about tomorrow tomorrow take care of itself, you know, no matter what it looks like.

Oh man tomorrow's really bad. I said Well God's in charge of tomorrow. Well, I could die. Well, I'd be with the Lord. It's like asking somebody, you know. What's the worst thing that can happen to you?

I could die. I said well, honestly folks ask for the body present with the Lord. Paul says for me to live as Christ as gave. Now knowing that you know. It's not a license to commit suicide because we've got is required that we be a good steward of what he's entrusted us.

But it is a freedom to live my life today. I'm afraid of death. I'm not looking forward to dying. That's a different deal. But I'm you know I'm not afraid of death. You know and all of us should be at that point in our life and then you're free to go.

Well, like Joanne said then, you know bless her heart because she doesn't want to suffer the loss. Losing me, but when I'm in the Bogota last boy I got a five-page letter from the government saying silly saying don't go because they were killing people on it and I said God called me to go what am I you know worried about and.

Now I have another staff down there. They got same five letters five-page letter. You know, it's kind of like wow, you know, how do we take Bibles into that country? He said You know. We may never get out.

I said you don't have to get out but you may have to go and You know that kind of faith however, it's almost foreign to a lot of our thinking today. I mean we are really caught up in self-preservation instead of self-commitment and You know, we kind of go back look at what the Hudson Taylor's spiritual secret.

I said well, he lost his first wife and kids and you know, it's poverty and stress and the influence. Oh avoid that at all costs. Well, that's the substance of which legends are made of you know. And that kind of faith in Hebrews 11 saw in half and you know.

Men about what some world isn't worthy and that's kind of true and I said, you know. It that was the line of Satan brought, you know. Oh save yourself at all costs. Peter said get behind me Satan. You're putting your interest on man's not God's.

You know. If God called me to go all over the world like I am this year and in the process of it I died praise the Lord. He called me and I died for a right cause and. So that's my life is in his hands, you know, I have no idea.

But mine wasn't to question mine was to go going all the world make disciples. Well, I'm seeing this point to say that that what triggered the adrenaline into my bloodstream was not that external event and.

The adrenaline that went into my bloodstream. Was not initiated by my adrenal glands. You follow my thinking here what initiated it. It's right here. That is all true. This is your control center right in here.

Now. Let me reduce that down just a little bit here. What? Where does depression come from? Well, we all know we should know pretty much by now that that by and large your emotions are a product of your thought life.