Depression, known in antiquity as melancholia, has been the great evil of mankind. The best therapy for this ancient disease is love therapy, and the best therapist is Jesus. However, it is medical and spiritual accompaniment simultaneously is often essential. The human being is a spiritual bio-psycho-social being. Therefore, depression has been attributed to four causes which are usually associated: biological, psychological , social and spiritual .  Next, let's look at how each issue is manifested and what therapies are indicated for their control. 

1^st - biological or organic cause: It is believed that some people are born genetically with an organic dysfunction. Others acquire chronic diseases that also lead to depression, such as AIDS , cancer , obesity , arthritis etc.  

The treatment in such cases should be made by a psychiatrist, who will try to shall make up for the deficiency of serotonin in the patient through antidepressants.  These people need a psychological, as well as clinical follow-up and therefore must follow strict medical advice. 

2^nd - Social Cause: Inactivity, loneliness; among other social causes; can lead a person to feel neglected by society and which makes them feel useless, demotivated and deeply sad. 

The best treatment for melancholy in such cases is physical activity. A daily thirty minute walk , jog or competitive run; according to one’s physical conditions and individual taste; or dance, light exercises at a  gym at least three times a week are optimal therapies for these people. Still, if the problem gets worse, also in this, psychological therapy and / or psychiatric is indispensable.

Sometimes one needs to know how to say no

3^rd - Psychological Cause: the death of a loved one, the loss of a good job, couple separation, sexual abuse, among other events may cause a person to have psychological disorders.  Besides these, there are other problems, such as stress, resulting from accumulation of activities, the need to be accepted, perfectionism and anxiety. 

When a couple separates, particularly for not having sexual attraction from a partner anymore, distress and its consequences from such a situation can become unbearable. Its consequences even affect their children in cases where there are those. That is why there is dating, so that people get to know each other very well, before assuming a stable relationship. Allied to this , one must know how to live together, requiring sometimes one member of the couple to forego certain whims, for the benefit of another. 

Dialogue, daily exchange of affection, understanding, renouncement and tolerance, among other positive qualities from love, are fundamental to a permanent family life .Regarding stress, we must remember that we can not make greater commitments than those that are strength can cope with. Sometimes one needs to know how to say no, without thereby be offended or offend those who ask us for a favour or service.  There are people who, due to their need to be accepted, refuse nothing, though not always they can deliver what has been asked form them. With this, they become depressed.  

Other people, attentive to the advice of Jesus to be perfect, begin to compare themselves to great missionaries and saints. Now when Jesus tells us to: "Be perfect," He knows better than anyone how important it is to give "one step at a time" because if we run a lot through bumpy roads, we can take such a tumble that we will be difficult to pick ourselves up. 

Anyone can be a victim of an obsessing spirit 

That's why Kardec wrote this sentence: "The true Spiritist can be recognized by their moral transformation and the efforts they employ to tame their evil inclinations" (Kardec, 2008, chapter 17, item 4).  He did not say that we must become saint from one moment to another, and surely, we should always strive to be better.  

Anxiety is another difficulty to be overcome by us to combat the psychological causes of depression. There are people who go from one activity to another, barely starting the first one and ending up forgetting or finish later ones or working with delay or carelessly on almost everything they do. It takes us the continuous process of self-knowledge  as stated in question 919 of The Spirits’ Book, to act with common sense and balance in everything we do in everyday life. We must have timetable for everything: to study, to work, to exercise and for prayer and meditation.  Without it, our mental life becomes a “hell”. 

 4^th - Spiritual Cause. The moral imperfections we bring printed on our mental field lead us to disregard the recommendation of Jesus: " Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation." Such defects are mainly based on selfishness, whence all the other imperfections of each of us derive from, such as pride, vanity, jealousy, envy, greed, sensuality and negative passions . 

 Anyone can be a victim of an obsessing spirit because, according to the response of a Spirit to Allan Kardec , " the spirits influence our thoughts and actions far more than we realize , because ordinarily , they are what drive us " ( Kardec , 2006 question 459). 

Also anyone can always have the company of good spirits, which neutralize the influence of evil. Just think and act always in the good.

"Always be good and you will have only good spirits at your side” ( Kardec , 2009 , chapter 9 item 13 ) .

But t obsession can range from the simple kind up to the subjugation type, as stated in The Mediums’ Book (Kardec , 2009 , chapter 9 ). 

Fascination is a very dangerous type of obsession 

In simple obsession, the person knows that he is under the influence of a "liar spirit" who "does not disguise nor conceals in any way its bad intentions and its purpose to contradict". The evil entity can be removed from the obsession victims by their own action of modifying their negative mental habits and putting all their trust in God. The therapy of love towards other fellow creatures, the study of the basic works of Allan Kardec and permanent action in the good is highly effective for both the obsessing spirit, and for the obsessed victim, providing both with their moral elevation.

Fascination is a very dangerous kind of obsession. "It is an illusion produced by the direct action of a Spirit upon the thought of the medium and which, somehow, paralyses their ability to judge communications" (Kardec, 2009, page 389, item 239). The one going through fascination does not believed he is being cheated, on the contrary, he believes blindly in the Spirit that is obsessing him and he repels those people who try to open his eyes. The therapy of love, with prayers and disobsession by distance are appropriate resources to such a case.

Finally, subjugation process "paralyzes the will of the one who suffers it and renders him to act against his will." For further information about this serious matter, we refer the fiend reader to  chapter 23 of The Mediums' Book, where one can be clarified further.

The causes of obsession can range from the simple desire to do harm to revenge towards the person who offended the obsessing Spirit in this or other physical existence.  

But besides the negative influence of spirits in our minds, we may be subject to moral influences from our own behaviours, which characterize the so-called self-obsession.

Therapy for these causes that lead to depression of the misfit spiritual, is still the "therapy of love", which is carried out by means of disobssessing treatments in spiritist centres, in so-called "groups of obsession." To this end, when the unbalanced person is not able to identify the problem by himself or get rid of negative influences, it is important that his family or friends lead him lovingly to the meetings of these groups. 

The best therapy is the desire to become healed 

The person under the obsession process (being obsessed)  should be sitting, or even lying down, if there is room for it in a room dedicated to spiritual treatment and should not take part in any way, as a medium or even common assistant to the meeting. As one is someone in spiritual treatment, one should not be working. Concomitantly, at the end of the meeting, the group leader should recommend his psychiatric monitoring, since his psychic and physical organs may also be affected. If the patient can not attend the mediumship group, his disobssessing treatment can be done at a distance.

Passes or Therapy of passes (laying on of hands healing) is very helpful in the therapy of depression rooted in spiritual maladjustment spirit. Another useful recommendation to reach re-equilibrium as well as to the maintenance of our mental health is the weekly practice of worshiping of the Gospel at home. The permanent study of the works of the Spiritist Codification and subsidiary works such as psychographic works by Divaldo Franco, dictated by spirits Joanna de Ângelis and Philomeno Manuel Miranda is essential and fundamental for spiritual re-equilibrium of victims of depression.

In none of the four aforementioned types of depression, the patient should no longer seek specialized medical care, especially when their situation became unbearable. The best therapy is the desire to be healed. But it is necessary that the person, or, in severe cases, a friend or relative seek in Jesus and in the Spirit Doctrine the supporters for the spiritual bio-psycho-social re-equilibrium of the depressed person.

This means striving to have good thoughts, seek incessantly work on the good, keep your mind occupied with good reads and high ideals, practice regular physical activity, such as dancing, walking and healthy body exercises. Be happy, but do not overdo anything. Thus, surely, one’s melancholy will be on the path of healing. 

Sources: 

FEITOSA, Nazareno. Depression : causes, consequences and the therapy of love. Spiritist Lecture. CD s.d.

FRANCO, Divaldo Pereira. Existential Conflicts. By Spirit Joanna de Ângelis. Salvador, BA: Livraria Espírita Alvorada, 2005.

______. Jesus and the gospel in the light of deep psychology. By Spirit Joanna de Ângelis. Salvador, BA: Livraria Espírita Alvorada, 2000.

______. Madness nad Obsesion. By Spirit Manoel Philomeno de Miranda. 12^th edition. Rio de Janeiro: Federação Espírita Brasileira, 2011.

_____. Sex and obsession. By Spirit Espírito Manoel Philomeno de Miranda. 8^th Edition. Salvador, BA: Livraria Espírita Alvorada, 2013.

______. Obsession: installation and cure. Organised by Adilson Pugliese. 3^rd Edition. Salvador, BA: Livraria Espírita Alvorada, 1998.

KARDEC, Allan. The Gospel according to Spiritism . Translation  Evandro Noleto Bezerra. Rio de Janeiro: Federação Espírita Brasileira, 2008.

______. The Spirits’ Book. Translation Evandro Noleto Bezerra. Rio de Janeiro: Federação Espírita Brasileira, 2006. Ed. comemorativa.

______. The Mediums’ Book. Translation Evandro Noleto Bezerra. Rio de Janeiro: Federação Espírita Brasileira, 2009.