---
title: "Is It a Sin to Take Antidepressants?"
description: "What Catholic, Orthodox and evangelical teaching say about antidepressants, the verses people quote against medicine, and who to ask about the medicine itself."
url: "https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-take-antidepressants"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-11-01"
modified: "2026-11-01"
author: "Cal Hewitt"
tags: ["is it a sin to take antidepressants","antidepressants","faith and medicine","pharmakeia","psalm 143","mental health"]
image: "https://biblenudge.com/og/blog-is-it-a-sin-to-take-antidepressants.jpg"
alternates:
  es: "https://biblenudge.com/es/blog/es-pecado-tomar-antidepresivos.md"
---

# Is It a Sin to Take Antidepressants?

[Cal Hewitt](https://biblenudge.com/about/cal-hewitt)Published November 1, 2026

- is it a sin to take antidepressants
- antidepressants
- faith and medicine
- pharmakeia
- psalm 143
- mental health

![Is It a Sin to Take Antidepressants?](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-take-antidepressants/featured.jpg)

No. Catholic, Orthodox and evangelical teaching all treat a medicine your doctor prescribes as something a believer may use, and none of the churches quoted below calls taking it a sin. The decisions about the medicine itself, whether to start, stop or change it, belong to you and your doctor.

[GotQuestions](https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-prescription-drugs.html), an evangelical question-and-answer ministry, puts it plainly: "There is nothing wrong with seeking a doctor’s help when we are sick. There is nothing wrong with taking the drugs that doctor prescribes in the way that they are prescribed." It calls the choice a matter "between that Christian and the Lord."

The [Catechism of the Catholic Church](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM), in paragraphs 2288 to 2291, asks for "reasonable care" of health and allows medicine "for strictly therapeutic purposes." That is the Catholic answer to the question in its own words.

The worry behind the question is often a voice from church or family. One person posted it on Reddit in r/TrueChristian: ["I want to take it and I know it will help, but I have read SO many things and have heard from so many believers and family alike that antidepressants are wrong because it means your faith is not strong enough or you are not trusting in God enough."](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/1bzd65z)

## If you only have a minute

### The short answer

Catholic, Orthodox and evangelical teaching treat prescribed medicine as something a believer may use.

### The medicine itself

Starting, stopping or changing it goes to your prescriber. Questions about a prescription go to a pharmacist.

### If you stopped out of shame

Tell your prescriber plainly that you stopped, and why.

### Words to pray

[Psalm 143:3-4](https://biblenudge.com/context/psalm-143-3-4), on the same day you see a doctor.

### This week

Write down one question about your medicine and take it to your doctor or pharmacist.

## Who to ask about the medicine itself

Faith can shape how you feel about a prescription, but the medical decisions sit with the people trained to make them with you. These are the people to go to, and what the health services say about them:

- **Your prescriber, for starting, stopping or changing.** The [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/depression-in-adults/treatment/) says antidepressants "have to be prescribed by a doctor." In the United States, too, the prescriber is the one who starts, stops or changes a medicine.
- **Before you stop.** The NHS [antidepressants page](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/antidepressants/) says, "Talk to your doctor if you want to stop taking an antidepressant," and "Do not stop taking an antidepressant suddenly or without talking to your doctor first."
- **Even if you feel better.** [NIMH](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/mental-health-medications), the US National Institute of Mental Health, says, "People should not stop taking a prescribed medication, even if they are feeling better, without the help of a health care provider."
- **Everything else you take.** NIMH also asks people to tell their provider about other medicines, vitamins and supplements.
- **A pharmacist, for questions about a prescription.** The NHS says, "Always ask a pharmacist or your doctor if you’re unsure." In the United Kingdom, the [NHS New Medicine Service](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/medicines-information/) lets eligible people starting a new prescription talk it through with a pharmacist. In the United States, a pharmacist answers prescription questions and can contact the prescriber for you.

If you stopped taking a medicine because someone at church or at home told you it was wrong, it helps to say so plainly to the person who prescribed it. A sentence of our own you could use: "I stopped taking it because people I trust told me it showed a lack of faith, and I wanted you to know." Your prescriber can then talk through what comes next knowing the whole story.

Five more questions come up about the medicine itself. Each one has the same answer, because each depends on your own health and history:

Questions about the medicine, and who answers them

Hover or tap a row to highlight it. Sort by a column heading; a third click puts the rows back in their original order.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| What do antidepressants do to the mind? | Your doctor or prescriber, who knows your history |
| Can antidepressants be taken for life? | Your prescriber, at your next review |
| Which antidepressant is safest? | Your doctor, with everything else you take in view |
| How long should antidepressants be taken? | Your prescriber, never a friend or a forum |
| What side effects do antidepressants have? | Your pharmacist or doctor, for your own prescription |

QuestionWhat do antidepressants do to the mind?

Who can answer it for youYour doctor or prescriber, who knows your history

QuestionCan antidepressants be taken for life?

Who can answer it for youYour prescriber, at your next review

QuestionWhich antidepressant is safest?

Who can answer it for youYour doctor, with everything else you take in view

QuestionHow long should antidepressants be taken?

Who can answer it for youYour prescriber, never a friend or a forum

QuestionWhat side effects do antidepressants have?

Who can answer it for youYour pharmacist or doctor, for your own prescription

## Is it against God to take antidepressants?

People also ask, "Is taking antidepressants a sin for a Catholic?" Here is what each tradition says in its own words, side by side and in no order of rank:

Each tradition in its own words

Hover or tap a row to highlight it. Sort by a column heading; a third click puts the rows back in their original order.

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Catholic | Asks for "reasonable care" of health and allows medicine "for strictly therapeutic purposes" | [Catechism](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM), paragraphs 2288 to 2291 |
| Orthodox | "The Church herself has made no definitive statement on this subject and there are no clear guidelines," and priests refer people to counselors or therapists who respect Orthodox belief | [Orthodox America pastoral commentary](https://roca.org/oa/volume-ix/issue-88/pastoral-commentary-when-a-parishioner-is-mentally-ill/) |
| Orthodox | In serious mental illness, the Church encourages families to seek psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental-health caregivers who respect the patient's religious and moral integrity | [Orthodox Christian health-care guide](https://www.advocatehealth.com/-/media/Project/Health-System-Enterprise/AdvocateHealthCom/advocatehealth/documents/about-us/faith-at-advocate/spiritual-health/religious-beliefs-health-care-decisions/orthodox-christian-tradition.pdf) |
| Assemblies of God | Mental-health wholeness includes "well-informed psychological, psychiatric, and medical research and practices" | [Position paper](https://ag.org/Beliefs/Position-Papers/Mental-Health-and-Mental-Illness), adopted July 2026 |
| Reformed | God works in ordinary providence through "means," and is free to work without them | [Westminster Confession](https://www.pcaac.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/WCF-with-SC.pdf) 5.3 |
| Evangelical | Prescription medicine is a matter "between that Christian and the Lord" | [GotQuestions](https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-prescription-drugs.html) |
| Christian Medical and Dental Associations | Mental-health care as professional treatment, counseling, prayer and church support together | [CMDA](https://resources.cmda.org/) |
| Jewish | Bava Kamma 85a discusses healing, and Jewish medical ethics cites Maimonides for the physician's permission and duty to heal | [Sefaria, Bava Kamma 85a](https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Kamma.85a) |

TraditionCatholic

What it saysAsks for "reasonable care" of health and allows medicine "for strictly therapeutic purposes"

Where it says it[Catechism](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM), paragraphs 2288 to 2291

TraditionOrthodox

What it says"The Church herself has made no definitive statement on this subject and there are no clear guidelines," and priests refer people to counselors or therapists who respect Orthodox belief

Where it says it[Orthodox America pastoral commentary](https://roca.org/oa/volume-ix/issue-88/pastoral-commentary-when-a-parishioner-is-mentally-ill/)

TraditionOrthodox

What it saysIn serious mental illness, the Church encourages families to seek psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental-health caregivers who respect the patient's religious and moral integrity

Where it says it[Orthodox Christian health-care guide](https://www.advocatehealth.com/-/media/Project/Health-System-Enterprise/AdvocateHealthCom/advocatehealth/documents/about-us/faith-at-advocate/spiritual-health/religious-beliefs-health-care-decisions/orthodox-christian-tradition.pdf)

TraditionAssemblies of God

What it saysMental-health wholeness includes "well-informed psychological, psychiatric, and medical research and practices"

Where it says it[Position paper](https://ag.org/Beliefs/Position-Papers/Mental-Health-and-Mental-Illness), adopted July 2026

TraditionReformed

What it saysGod works in ordinary providence through "means," and is free to work without them

Where it says it[Westminster Confession](https://www.pcaac.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/WCF-with-SC.pdf) 5.3

TraditionEvangelical

What it saysPrescription medicine is a matter "between that Christian and the Lord"

Where it says it[GotQuestions](https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-prescription-drugs.html)

TraditionChristian Medical and Dental Associations

What it saysMental-health care as professional treatment, counseling, prayer and church support together

Where it says it[CMDA](https://resources.cmda.org/)

TraditionJewish

What it saysBava Kamma 85a discusses healing, and Jewish medical ethics cites Maimonides for the physician's permission and duty to heal

Where it says it[Sefaria, Bava Kamma 85a](https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Kamma.85a)

The Orthodox commentary comes from Orthodox America, a publication of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and it is honest that the Church has set no single rule. What it describes in practice is a priest helping a person find a counselor or therapist who respects their faith. The Orthodox health-care guide, published by Advocate Health, says the same thing from the family's side.

The [Assemblies of God](https://ag.org/Beliefs/Position-Papers/Mental-Health-and-Mental-Illness) paper, adopted on 27 and 28 July 2026, goes further in one direction: it encourages ministers to work with mental-health professionals and to remove stigma from Christian communities. The Southern Baptist Convention's 2013 resolution and the Church of England's guidance on prayer and medicine are set out in [is anxiety a sin](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-anxiety-a-sin).

The churches that welcome medicine describe its place beside prayer in different ways. Some speak of God's ordinary means, some of reasonable care for a body that is a gift, some of a team that includes a priest and a therapist. Those differences are real, and they sit side by side.

## What does the Bible say about depression medicine?

People also ask, "What does Jesus say about taking medication?" The Bible shows healers, remedies and prayer side by side, each in its own setting.

At Levi's feast in Luke 5:27-32, scribes and Pharisees complain that Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners. He answers them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do," and uses the physician and the sick as an image of his call to sinners. In Paul's closing greetings in Colossians 4:12-14, a friend is named by his work: "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you." [Enduring Word](https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/colossians-4/) reads Luke the physician as medicine and Christian service sitting together.

In the middle of pastoral instructions in 1 Timothy 5:21-25, Paul tells Timothy, "Be no longer a drinker of water only, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities." [Matthew Henry](https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/1Timothy.5.23) reads it as a sensible remedy for Timothy's body.

When King Hezekiah is ill in Isaiah 38:19-22, he prays, and the prophet gives a practical instruction as well: "Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover." In James 5:13-16, prayer, the elders, anointing with oil and confession all happen inside the assembly: "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."

Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus, is in the Catholic and Orthodox Bible and not in the Protestant one. Its writer, Ben Sira, was a Jewish wisdom teacher, and chapter 38 holds prayer, repentance, medicines and the physician together. In the [Douay-Rheims](https://www.drbo.org/chapter/26038.htm) translation, verse 4 reads, "The most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them," and after prayer and an offering, verse 11 says, "then give place to the physician."

These passages speak of bodily illness, and Jesus names no particular medicine. What they give you is company: a person who prays and also fills a prescription stands where the Bible already records people standing, with a prophet, a physician and an apostle among them.

![A glass of water on a kitchen windowsill in early morning light](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-take-antidepressants/glass-on-the-windowsill.jpg)

## The passages people quote against medicine

Some verses are handed to people as reasons not to take medicine. Each one reads differently once it is back in its own chapter, and Christians still disagree about some of them.

The most common is the Greek word *pharmakeia*, translated "sorcery" or "witchcraft." In Galatians 5:19-21 it sits in a list of "the deeds of the flesh": "idolatry, sorcery, hatred." In Revelation 9:20-21, people who worship demons and idols "didn’t repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts." In Revelation 18:22-23, the fallen city is told, "for with your sorcery all the nations were deceived."

The Greek lexicons BDAG and LSJ give the word a range that covers magic, sorcery, potions, poisoning and the use of drugs, with the meaning decided by context ([Bible Hub, Strong's 5331](https://biblehub.com/greek/5331.htm); [LSJ at Perseus](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=pharmakeia&la=greek)). Some Christians apply it to psychiatric medicine. Lexical and historical commentaries read it in these passages as ritual magic, poison or occult potions, sitting beside idolatry, demon worship and deception.

The question is a real one for people who take a pill each morning. One person asked it on Reddit in r/TrueChristian: ["Where do you draw the line from medicine to sorcery aka Pharmakeia?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/i8j5i9) The lists in Galatians and Revelation are the place to start answering it for yourself, read whole.

The second is King Asa in 2 Chronicles 16:7-13. Asa had relied on the king of Syria rather than on God, then jailed the seer who rebuked him for it. Years later, "in his disease he didn’t seek Yahweh, but just the physicians." Matthew Henry and [Enduring Word](https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-chronicles-16/) read the fault as whom Asa trusted, which runs through the whole chapter. Stricter readers take the verse as a warning against relying on medicine.

The third is the woman in Mark 5:25-34 who "had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse." She touches Jesus' clothes and is healed, and he calls her daughter and sends her in peace: "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be cured of your disease."

Then there are the verses about trust. Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding," and Psalm 118:9 says, "It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to put confidence in princes." Some read these against medicine. Other commentators read them as trust in God that sits alongside ordinary means.

If one of these verses was used on you, it may help to read the whole chapter it came from. Each of them, read in its own chapter, speaks for itself, and you can let it.

## Antidepressants and the Holy Spirit

Other people also ask "Should Christians take antidepressants?" and "How do Christians handle depression?" [GotQuestions](https://www.gotquestions.org/mental-illness.html) holds that prescribed treatment may be used while trust in God stays central, and describes mental-health care as including "medicine, psychiatry, community support, and education."

Its [Spanish page](https://www.gotquestions.org/espanol/anti-depresivos.html) answers the same question directly: "¿Es esto un pecado? No." ("Is this a sin? No.") It adds, "No hay razón bíblica para no aprovecharla." ("There is no biblical reason not to make use of it.")

Christian counseling services say much the same from the clinic's side. [Grace Christian Counseling](https://gracechristiancounseling.com/) and [Church and Mental Health](https://churchandmentalhealth.com/) each describe medicine, counseling, prayer and community working beside one another, rather than one replacing another.

Some people's fear runs the other way, that feeling better will pull them from God. The same person who posted on Reddit in r/TrueChristian wrote, ["I worry IF I go on them and feel better, I will doubt God."](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/1bzd65z) In a 2022 r/TrueChristian thread on Reddit, two replies answered a similar worry: ["There is nothing sinful or wrong in taking medication for depression or any other medical condition,"](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/u622ag) and "It doesn’t change the way you interact with God, and it doesn’t mean you lack faith."

One small practice of our own: pray for your doctor before an appointment, and pray on the day you collect the prescription. That way the prayer and the medicine share the same day, and neither has to wait for the other. For what depression is, and the people in Scripture who sank under it, [is depression a sin](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-depression-a-sin) covers that ground.

![Two garden chairs facing each other on a lawn under an overcast sky](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-take-antidepressants/the-garden-chairs.jpg)

## Pastors on antidepressants

Surveys of churches give a sense of how ordinary this is, including among the people who lead them. Each figure below describes a particular group, in a particular year and country:

What church surveys reported

Hover or tap a row to highlight it. Sort by a column heading; a third click puts the rows back in their original order.

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Lifeway Research and Focus on the Family](https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Acute-Mental-Illness-and-Christian-Faith-Research-Report-1.pdf), United States, 2014 | 207 Protestant pastors | 23 percent had personally struggled with mental illness; 12 percent reported a diagnosed mental illness |
| Same study, 2014 | 1,353 Protestant adults with acute mental illness | 94 percent had been prescribed medication; 85 percent of those said it had been effective |
| Same study, 2014 | 207 Protestant pastors, asked when medication should be used | 36 percent "any time they can ease symptoms," 44 percent "in moderation," 12 percent "as a last resort" |
| [Lifeway Research](https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Pastors-Sept-2021-Mental-Illness-Report.pdf), United States, 2021 | 1,000 Protestant pastors | 86 percent felt equipped to recognize when someone might need referral to a medical professional, up from 81 percent in 2014 |
| [National Center for Health Statistics, Data Brief 419](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db419.htm), October 2021 | US adults, 2020 National Health Interview Survey | 16.5 percent had taken prescription medication for their mental health in the previous year |

Survey[Lifeway Research and Focus on the Family](https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Acute-Mental-Illness-and-Christian-Faith-Research-Report-1.pdf), United States, 2014

Who was asked207 Protestant pastors

What they reported23 percent had personally struggled with mental illness; 12 percent reported a diagnosed mental illness

SurveySame study, 2014

Who was asked1,353 Protestant adults with acute mental illness

What they reported94 percent had been prescribed medication; 85 percent of those said it had been effective

SurveySame study, 2014

Who was asked207 Protestant pastors, asked when medication should be used

What they reported36 percent "any time they can ease symptoms," 44 percent "in moderation," 12 percent "as a last resort"

Survey[Lifeway Research](https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Pastors-Sept-2021-Mental-Illness-Report.pdf), United States, 2021

Who was asked1,000 Protestant pastors

What they reported86 percent felt equipped to recognize when someone might need referral to a medical professional, up from 81 percent in 2014

Survey[National Center for Health Statistics, Data Brief 419](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db419.htm), October 2021

Who was askedUS adults, 2020 National Health Interview Survey

What they reported16.5 percent had taken prescription medication for their mental health in the previous year

The 2014 study also surveyed 578 family members. Those are particular groups, not the whole church, but they say something plain: pastors live with this too, and a person filling a prescription for their mental health is one of a great many. [Is anxiety a sin](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-anxiety-a-sin) gives Lifeway's figures on people who want their church to talk about it.

## Telling a church, a family or a small group

Deciding who to tell can feel harder than the decision itself. The [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/stigma/index.html) says stigma "can prevent or delay people from seeking care or cause them to discontinue treatment," and [Mind](https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/mental-health-problems-introduction/stigma-and-misconceptions/), the UK mental-health charity, describes stigma as misconceptions and negative attitudes.

Some people carry what they were told for years. In a thread posted on Reddit in r/exchristian, one person asked, ["Because of the guilt trip that if you took medication, you lacked faith?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/exchristian/comments/1j8d43n) and another wrote, "I chose ‘Dear Heavenly Father’ over medication."

If you are the friend, parent or church member, you may recognize a line below that you have said with good intentions. People report hearing these, and some of them were posted outright, like the line from the 2022 [r/TrueChristian thread on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/u622ag): "I think anti-depressants are a form of pharmakeia used by satan." Beside each is something kinder, in our own wording:

What lands badly, and what to say instead

Hover or tap a row to highlight it. Sort by a column heading; a third click puts the rows back in their original order.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| "I think anti-depressants are a form of pharmakeia used by satan." | "I’m glad you have a doctor you can talk to. How can I pray for you this week?" |
| "Medicine is a lack of faith." | "Prayer and medicine can share the same day. How are you doing, really?" |
| "God is your only medicine." | "Whatever you and your doctor decide, I’m with you." |
| "Just pray about it." | "I’m glad you have a doctor you can talk to. How can I pray for you this week?" |

What lands badly"I think anti-depressants are a form of pharmakeia used by satan."

Something kinder (our wording)"I’m glad you have a doctor you can talk to. How can I pray for you this week?"

What lands badly"Medicine is a lack of faith."

Something kinder (our wording)"Prayer and medicine can share the same day. How are you doing, really?"

What lands badly"God is your only medicine."

Something kinder (our wording)"Whatever you and your doctor decide, I’m with you."

What lands badly"Just pray about it."

Something kinder (our wording)"I’m glad you have a doctor you can talk to. How can I pray for you this week?"

If you are a pastor, elder or small-group leader, the [Orthodox pastoral commentary](https://roca.org/oa/volume-ix/issue-88/pastoral-commentary-when-a-parishioner-is-mentally-ill/) says priests should identify suitable professional services and refer people on. A question of our own that keeps you in your role: "Have you been able to talk this over with your doctor?" Then leave the medical questions there.

If you are a husband, wife, parent or friend, one practical offer with a day in it does more than a general one. "Can I drive you to your appointment on Thursday?" is easier to accept than "Let me know if you need anything."

![A closed umbrella leaning by a front door on a rainy morning](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-take-antidepressants/the-umbrella.jpg)

## Do depressed people go to heaven?

The [Catechism](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM) says grave psychological disturbances can diminish a person's responsibility, and many Protestant and Orthodox writers distinguish illness from deliberate rebellion. [Is depression a sin](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-depression-a-sin) and [do people who die by suicide go to heaven](https://biblenudge.com/blog/do-people-who-die-by-suicide-go-to-heaven) take the question up in full. If thoughts of suicide are close tonight, the [988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline](https://988lifeline.org/) in the United States answers by call, text and chat, with help in Spanish on its [Spanish page](https://988lifeline.org/es/obten-ayuda/), and [Find A Helpline](https://findahelpline.com/) lists services in other countries.

## Words for being worn down: Psalm 143:3-4

If you are worn out from being told to fix this by faith alone, the passage Bible Nudge offers for emotional exhaustion may fit. In the World English Bible:

> For the enemy pursues my soul. He has struck my life down to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is desolate.

Psalm 143 is a prayer written under pursuit and pressure. These two verses describe what that pressure has done to the speaker, and the psalm keeps asking in verses 5 to 7 rather than closing the matter. The words "overwhelmed" and "desolate" are said to God, in the first person, without apology.

That is what it gives you: words for the state you are in, prayed to God as you are, on the same day you see a doctor. Read [Psalm 143:3-4](https://biblenudge.com/context/psalm-143-3-4) once, and hold one question: "What has been taking everything you have?" [Bible verses for mental exhaustion](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-mental-exhaustion) reads the psalm at more length.

## Questions people ask

These three come up beside the main question.

### Can a Christian with depression still grow spiritually?

In the 2014 [Lifeway Research study](https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Acute-Mental-Illness-and-Christian-Faith-Research-Report-1.pdf), 76 percent of Protestant pastors and 74 percent of family members said a Christian with acute mental illness could thrive spiritually even while the condition remained unstable. Those are American Protestant groups, and they describe a view held widely among them.

### What does the Spanish GotQuestions page say about medicine and God?

[GotQuestions in Spanish](https://www.gotquestions.org/espanol/anti-depresivos.html) says, "Dios ha permitido que el hombre avance en su conocimiento de la medicina, el cual Dios usa en el proceso de sanidad." In English: "God has allowed people to advance in their knowledge of medicine, which God uses in the process of healing." It speaks of God as healer working through medicine and doctors.

### Is it a sin to take medicine for anxiety?

The same question about anxiety has its own answer, with the Southern Baptist and Church of England statements on prayer and medicine, in [is anxiety a sin](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-anxiety-a-sin). The guidance on who decides about the medicine is the same: your prescriber and your pharmacist.

## Where to go next

If you are thinking about ending your life, reach a person tonight. In the United States, call [988](tel:988), text [988](sms:988) or [chat](https://988lifeline.org/chat/) with the [988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline](https://988lifeline.org/). In Spanish, the [988 Spanish page](https://988lifeline.org/es/obten-ayuda/) says to dial [988](tel:988) and press 2, or text AYUDA to [988](sms:988). In Canada, call or text [9-8-8](https://988.ca/). In the United Kingdom and Ireland, [Samaritans](https://www.samaritans.org/) is on [116 123](tel:116123). In Australia, [Lifeline](https://www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/national-services/lifeline-crisis-support) is on [13 11 14](tel:131114). In Spain, the [Línea 024](https://www.msps.es/linea024/home.htm) is on [024](tel:024). Everywhere else, [Find A Helpline](https://findahelpline.com/) lists services by country.

One next step: write down the one question you most want to ask about your medicine, and take it to your doctor or pharmacist this week. Tonight, if it fits, read Psalm 143:4 once.

[Bible Nudge](https://biblenudge.com/) offers one passage with the verses around it. [Find a passage](https://biblenudge.com/nudge).

## Words that come up here

Tap a term to see what it means.

**Pharmakeia.** A Greek word translated "sorcery" or "witchcraft" in Galatians and Revelation, with a range covering magic, potions, poisoning and the use of drugs.

**Prescriber.** The doctor or other licensed professional who writes and reviews a prescription.

**Pharmacist.** The professional who dispenses a prescription and answers questions about it.

**Sirach.** Also called Ecclesiasticus, a book of Jewish wisdom in the Catholic and Orthodox Bible.

**Catechism.** The Catholic Church's summary of its teaching.

**Means.** In the Westminster Confession, the ordinary things through which God works, while free to work without them.

**Yahweh.** The personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible.

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