Sick People

Here we are again dealing with the deaths of innocent people at the hands of a sick person.  I have written in the past about how I feel about sick people killing innocent people.  I continue to struggle with that.  This article by Ed Stetzer helped me some.  People struggling with mental illness are often either embarrassed to ask for help or don't know how to ask for help.  Churches do not do enough to let those who are struggling know how to get help.  I think a big part of the problem is that mental illness can sometimes start with minor depression.   At what point does minor depression escalate to mental illness that needs to be treated medically?   When I was 35, things weren't going great at work.  I didn't feel good physically, and I didn't want to get out of bed to go to work.  I went to a doc-in-the-box, described my symptoms, took a 3 minute survey and left with Prozac.  I never took it at the recommendation of my sister-in-law who is a nurse.  Things eventually got better for me (weeks), and I don't feel like I struggle with depression now.  What are the things that could have happened that would have caused that depression to worsen?  I can imagine some things, but I don't know.  I think one of the best things that can happen is that family and friends can notice small changes in people, and take those changes seriously.  I would guess that many times, a person struggling may just need some encouragement, but there could be other times that the situation is more serious requiring medical treatment.  Being observant, attentive and proactive might keep someone from making a huge mistake down the road, and if not, maybe we will just know them a little better after taking some time to listen.