Rebekah Lyons Criticizes Treatment for Depression Will Send Wrong Message

                  

 

As a former housebound agoraphobic due to chronic anxiety attacks and concurrent depression it was difficult for me to read Rebekah Lyons Freefall to Fly  A Breathtaking Journey.  Her book covers her struggles with anxiety and depression but she does not seek professional help and discourages anyone who uses antidepressants.  Instead of being uplifting I felt this book proposed it was wrong to get the appropriate treatment which is available.  Unfortunately there is a lot about mental illness she does not know and should not be making unfounded suggestions.  Its sad because this just contributes to the ignorance that is already associated with depression.  I am a Christian who believes that God blesses doctors with the knowledge they have to treat them,  Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain, therefore medication is given to stabilize it's victims just as a person who is diabetes needs insulin.  Once I got the appropriate treatment which was a combination of therapy, medication and prayers I overcame the agoraphobia.  Mine is such a success story that it ended up in The Detroit News.  To discourage anyone who is suffering from depression from seeking treatment is just wrong.

This is one of the few books I highly do not recommend. 

Conquering Inner Demons

Kasey Van Norman focuses on a real problem that a lot of Christians suffer with, low self-esteem in her book NAMED BY GOD (Overcoming your past, transforming your present and embracing your future). Like many, she couldn't understand how God could love her. Tormented by her inner demons, she finds herself tossing back a bottle of Xanax to end it all. Her book shares how she learned to let the past go and to embrace the redemption that God has for us. For so many Christians, it is easy to speak about hope and forgiveness yet inwardly they struggle with self-acceptance. This book will make an impression on many others facing the same and I am thankful Kasey had the courage to relate her struggle. I can completely relate to this book as I went through similar struggles in my twenties and you can not know the true peace of God until you make peace with yourself. This book should be on every Christain counselors bookshelf. I highly recommend. It was my deep pleasure to review this book for Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.