Mind, Body, and Soul

The unity of the mind, body, and soul has been a subject of debate for about all of human history. The classical Christian response is that these three are united in the creation of a human being, that none of these elements can really constitute a whole person without unification with the other two. There is simply no separation between the three, and no one element can be elevated above the others as more important. A human being consists of a body that is physical, metaphysical, and spiritual.

I myself haven't gotten into this conversation very much. I've concentrated my intellectual energies on issues of war, peace, atonement, and the more tangible issues of discipleship. But over the course of the last year, I've been forced to have this question of mind/body/soul unity lurking around. As with any other mental disorder, depression has effects that are both physical and mental, with repercussions into every realm of life. Every part of my being—physical, emotional, spiritual—has been affected, and deeply so, by the reality that things in my brain do not work as they should. So little is known, too, about so many mental disorders: is it a learned predisposition, a genetic predisposition, a chemical imbalance, something else altogether, or a combination of factors that make it nearly impossible to overcome?

All of the questions about the unity of my mind, body, and soul come to the fore when dealing with my depression. What is the essence of me? Am I really myself when I am in the worst of my depression, an emotional mess incapable of usual rationality? Does this bit of myself make up another part of me that must coexist, for now, alongside my more caring, intelligent, productive self? Is depression a part of me??

My experiences of depression have spurred some positive things: an increased consciousness of the world's pain, a deeper awareness of humanity and the earth. Also, some good journaling. But, really, when I'm at my worst, I don't want to think that my irrationality and inability to cope are markers of me. I have subtly learned to treat them as ways that my depression—an external force—incapacitates me. At the same time, though, this depression is part of my physical and mental being. These are chemicals and patterns that are in my own brain here, folks. If I truly follow the line that mind and body are united, when my mind is imbalanced, does that make the rest of me flawed? How can I say that depression is a thing outside of myself when it is my own brain that's misfiring?

This would be easier if I took the Platonist view that the mind is above the body: I could just say that my body is wreaking havoc on my mind, that some sort of bizarre sadomasochistic war is going on inside myself between my lesser, more fallible body and my superior mind/soul. But a few years of theological training have made this impossible for me. So, instead, I just have a very messed up Self. Mind and body, in tandem, are messed up. Fantastic.

My lack of experience with this debate is pretty evident here. Would others more familiar care to correct my poor thinking, and maybe even help a girl learn how to not go into ontological crises over every depressive breakdown?