Pam,

The scriptures do not teach that depression, mood disorders,
and other mental illnesses are sin, in general.

Let's examine:
In I Kings 19:4 we find Elijah in the following scenario:
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
This is depression.

Now let's look at a more extreme example:
The night of Jesus' betrayal, he went into the garden and prayed 3 times, that
if it was possible, God remove the events that were about to take place....sweating as drops of blood.
This was the fleshly side of Jesus showing what anyone in his position would
be feeling at the thought of what was to come.....We would probably call that
"anxiety".......Was he sinning? NO. Why? Because despite his concerns, he trusted in the Father, knowing that His Will had to be accomplished.

As humans, we all have times we are depressed, anxious, etc. In fact, part of the joy to look forward to in Heaven, is that there will be no more such things. The main thing we must remember however, is that we must address our concerns to the Father and then trust in Him that things will advance per His Will.

Another aspect of this though, is that sometimes we experience these feelings when "we have sinned". That is our conscience trying to get our attention, so that we repent of that sin, so that we might be made whole once again. When we do this, those feelings should then subside.

As far as those that are truly mentally ill, to the point of not being able to determine right from wrong, I believe that they are most likely in the same condition as a child who isn't able to determine right from wrong, and is covered
by the grace of GOD.... HOWEVER, when it comes down to it, we aren't the ones to make such judgements; only God Himself knows the heart and mind of every person, and He in His wisdom, will judge these individuals.

It's kind of like the hypothetical question, "If a man who has heard the gospel taught, believes it, repents, and confesses his sins, is killed on the way to be baptized...is he saved???".........That's not our call.......That falls into the realm of God's business. I could tell you what I think, just like I could meet someone who is mentally ill and tell you what "I" belive their condition to be, based on my knowledge, BUT, only the Father is omniscient, and perfect in His judgement; so let us trust in Him to make these decisions, while we do all that we can to help those who need to be strengthened.

__________________
May God help and keep us all,
Gregg A. Parker