Author: Charles Hodges

The Mythology of Depression

The Mythology of Depression

Posted by | Feb 6, 2023 | |

Many articles pop up in my email about mental health questions, and one of the many caught my eye this past week. It was published on churchleaders.com. The title, “4 Myths Christians Should Stop Believing about Depression,”[1] was meaningful for me because the first article I wrote that was published in a journal was titled “Spiritual Depression: A Myth Diagnosis.” That article contained my earliest thoughts about the growing number of people being diagnosed with depression in our country and around the world. Continue Reading →

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Finding Hope and Refuge

Finding Hope and Refuge

Posted by | Nov 28, 2022 | |

I have always said that the best time of year is the short space between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I enjoy it most because of the music, which reminds me of the great gift of salvation that God gave us through His Son, Jesus. Listening to the music of Christmas gives me hope for a world that is struggling in so many ways. As I serve with the staff at Vision of Hope (VOH), we see these struggles firsthand. Continue Reading →

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Chemical Imbalances: True or False?

Chemical Imbalances: True or False?

Posted by | Sep 12, 2022 | |

In the past two months, a really interesting study has been published by a group of researchers in the United Kingdom, including Joanna Moncrieff of the Division of Psychiatry at the University College London.[1] The article was the product of research that examined a large number of studies dealing with the chemical imbalance theory of depression. Specifically, the article discussed whether or not a lack of serotonin can be demonstrated to be the cause of depression. Continue Reading →

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Deaths of Despair

Deaths of Despair

Posted by | Mar 30, 2022 | |

It has been a difficult two years for most of us as we have dealt with “two weeks to flatten the curve” of Covid illness, hospitalization, and death. And, I suspect we all have been hoping that with the coming of spring, the decline in cases and hospitalizations, the pandemic will soon be behind us. For some of our population, the improvement was not enough. This past week an article appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association discussing research into “deaths of despair.” Continue Reading →

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year: Avoiding Post Holiday Blues

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year: Avoiding Post Holiday Blues

Posted by | Dec 27, 2021 | |

By the time this blog is published, we should be two days past Christmas, and another aspect of the season will be with us. Despite the reason for celebration, some of us do not view these days with joyful anticipation. Instead, for many reasons, Christmas can be a source of sadness. As a physician for over 40 years now, I have noticed a general uptick in visits for depression in the weeks following December the 25th. Continue Reading →

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