Is it possible?

Is it possible to be addicted to being depressed?  I just had a couple of thoughts... my mom's RS is teaching lessons on the church's 12 step recovery from addiction program.  One of the steps is HOPE.  I keep connecting it to depression because of all the friends around me that are fighting it.  And it truly is a fight!  I just wanted to put some of my thoughts out there.  This is not a treaties on depression or an all knowing 'this is how you cure it'... just my thoughts and my mom's.

Is depression the absence of hope?  In some cases medication is needed, but in all cases hope and faith are needed more... The purpose of this life is so that we might have joy... joy in family, joy in living and learning, just joy... depression is an absence of joy.  We find joy when we turn to God and find hope in the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  We need to come to believe that the power of God can restore us to complete spiritual health.

I was reading in one of my favorite books and came across this and thought it was applicable...
"How easily he spoke of hope and humor, as if being happy were simply a decision one made.  Some people assumed that it was.  Once, I might have agreed with them.  Now, my stomach simply twisted, and I felt sick at the thought of taking pretty much any action.  My thoughts constantly invaded by doubts.  This is what religion is for, I thought... It helps people through times like these."  -Brandon Sanderson 'The Hero of Ages'

…often we do not connect our personal struggles with our need for God’s power in our lives. We need to believe in the love and mercy of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the accessibility and blessings of the Holy Ghost.  Come to know the perfectly united love of the Godhead by watching for evidence of Their love and power in our lives and in the lives of others.

Finding hope begins to awaken us to the mercy and power of God.  We can believe that He can deliver us from the bondage of addiction, sadness, sorrows, and pain. When we have found that hope it leads us to have faith that through obedience to Gods laws we can both be healed from our pains and shortcomings and also that we will receive the blessings that were promised to us as his heirs and children.  The foundation of recovery from anything is spiritual!

I have two experiences to share... one is mine and the other is my moms...

When my mom was 19 she had this experience:
"I lived in Salt Lake and attended BYU Salt Lake.  My roommate was killed (by her boyfriend who was often over at their apartment) and within weeks after, my brother was killed (fell from the back of a truck).  I sunk into a deep depression, afraid of the world.  I would hardly come out of my basement room.  My sorrow was so heavy.  The only thing I could think about was to pray.  I got on my knees and poured my aching heart out to God.  I felt a physical arm around my shoulders and a warmth in my body.  I heard him tell me that tho the world can harm our physical bodies that no one could harm my spirit.  That thought has been my motivation for this life.  I was able to have my Savior carry my burden and lift my sorrow."

Mine, compared to that isn't nearly what hers was... but it is mine... I felt it.  It is mine.
When Jer and I first found out that we couldn't get pregnant I went through several stages... sorrow, depression, and finally determination.  My depression came from the fact that I was ready for a family... and now it looked like Jer and I were as much of a family as we were going to have.  I had grown up expecting and preparing to be a mother... and now I wouldn't be.  I tried not to brood or show it to others, but it was there.  But after many prayers and fasts I decided that I would try to figure out why we couldn't be parents and what we could do about it.  Jer wasn't comfortable with adopting, so I looked into every reason I could find...After about 6 months there was a surgery done... and within three months of that... we were expecting our cute little Ada bug!  Could you imagine if I had just decided that we were just victims and had stayed depressed without doing anything about it?  We wouldn't have the two wonderful (and big handfuls that they are... ) kids with one on the way.  I'm so glad that I followed the promptings of the Spirit and the priesthood blessings that I received and the council that they gave!  Having a family is harder than I thought, but I'm glad for it at the same time.