How can I help my daughter who battles depression and has become addicted to prescription drugs?

Q: My daughter battles depression and has become addicted to prescription drugs. She has a good life, really, but never seems to recognize how fortunate she is. How can I help her? — A.P.

A: While battles rage around the world and storms gather in the human spirit, depression steals rest from our souls. This is an unfolding phenomenon that grips hearts with indescribable fear. Society is caught up in a powerful windstorm by turning to drugs to calm their hearts and minds, many times with a doctor’s help. There is widespread anxiety in people’s hearts today.

Millions of barbiturates are swallowed every night to help the nation sleep. Millions of tranquilizers keep people calm during the day. Millions of pep pills wake people up in the morning. Volumes could be written on the problem of drug addiction. The Bible warns that these flights from reality bring no lasting satisfaction.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antidepressants are among the most prescribed drugs in the United States. Sometimes called the “designer drug,” one physician stated, “It’s hard to believe that so many people are depressed, or that antidepressants are the answer.” This doctor is wise, indeed. Drugs are not the answer to man’s troubled condition. There is only one answer to the travail of this present age, and it is found in the pages of God’s Word, the Bible.

While it is important to be under the responsible care of physicians when battling emotional trauma, do not dismiss the peace of mind that comes from the Great Physician. Jesus brings deliverance to those who are weighed down.

The Bible encourages us to think on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. It is good medicine for our minds and hearts (see Philippians 4:8).

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

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