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I've been politically incorrect for as long as I can remember. I really should wear a sign around my neck that says "I apologize if I say something offensive," because it feels like I am eating the soles of my shoes a few times a day.

But when it comes to my mood disorder, I think that "spiritually incorrect" is the better term.

There are lots of "spiritual" approaches to treating depression, each of which has a devoted following. There are "The Secret"-loving folks (and half of Oprah's viewers) telling me that all I have to do to feel good is think positive thoughts--to throw the intention of personal sanity and well-being into the universe and fetch it when it returns to me. Then there are the Tom Cruise disciples warning me about those toxic pharmaceuticals I'm putting into my body (they say fish oil and vitamins are enough). Then there are the New-Agers claiming that mental health is only one yoga class, acupuncture session, or hour of Tibetan meditation away. (FYI: I believe in all these things--positive thinking, fish oil, vitamins, yoga, acupuncture, and meditation--but they alone could not treat my clinical, suicidal depression.)

And then, even more dangerous (in my opinion), I have intelligent, theologically-trained pastors, priests, and ministers of every denomination advising me that God alone is what I need--that if I read the Word, and lay my head on Jesus, then I can stop seeing both my psychiatrist and therapist.

Because prayer alone will be enough heal me.

In the face of such ignorance I say this, a prayer a priest friend recently taught me: "Jesus, save me from your followers." (Or, my secular version: "I'm sorry. My fault. I forgot you were an idiot.")

If I sound angry, it's for a good reason. These attitudes not only perpetuate the stigma of mental illness--they worsen the depression of millions of people around the globe because, in addition to their other symptoms, the depressives now feel responsible and guilty for having brought on the pain themselves. And in trying to overcome it by themselves (with the help of their prayer beads), they stay stuck in the Black Hole, or resort to suicide.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that religious leaders who are uninformed about mental health are plentiful.

Back when I was a sophomore in college, a priest preached in his homily that "the world needs God, not Valium, and that the place to go with problems is the confessional, not a psychologist's office." I stood up and walked out. Every now and then I'll hear a variation of it, and I'm tempted again to walk out again (but with kids, that's not so easy).

In the psych ward--where I thought I was free of judgmental, evangelical lunatics--I was accosted by an ignorant pastor. After the chapel service, where we read psalms and sang "Amazing Grace," he told me to stay put (because I couldn't stop crying?).

Pointing his holy finger at me he said, "Honey, all you need is the Word. I was right where you are. I was down and out too, and then I picked up the Bible and God cured me. Praise the Lord! All you have to do is believe." I was so doped up on sedatives at the time that I don't remember what I said to him, but I don't think it was nice.

I'm going to do a little name dropping here and say that my FRIEND Jim Martin has become Stephen Colbert's chaplain. This is his THIRD appearance on The Colbert Report, and Jim invited me to be part of the audience! Unfortunately, because I am practicing my "simplification" practices for Lent (and because I'm broke), I couldn't go. But here's his appearance for all of you to watch. Having famous friends is so cool.

I tried to embed the video here, but it's not working, so your going to have to visit the Colbert website to see Fr. Jim's segment on the topic of turning to God in hard economic times. To go there click here.

Okay all you "loyal" readers and friends, which one of you ratted me out to the pope? Apparently he doesn't approve of my "friend-collecting" habits on Facebook. I wonder if the Vatican set up a webcam on my desk. Of course, it's cluttered with so many books and magazines, I'd never find it anyway. Would he judge me if he knew I got "friended" by "Jesus Nazareth" the other day? Seriously, Jesus wrote on my wall that he reads Beyond Blue and likes it! Here's what the dear old man in charge of the Church says about Facebook, published in a letter called "New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship":

The concept of friendship has enjoyed a renewed prominence in the vocabulary of the new digital social networks that have emerged in the last few years. The concept is one of the noblest achievements of human culture. ... We should be careful, therefore, never to trivialise the concept or the experience of friendship. It would be sad if our desire to sustain and develop on-line friendships were to be at the cost of our availability to engage with our families, our neighbours and those we meet in the daily reality of our places of work, education and recreation. If the desire for virtual connectedness becomes obsessive, it may in fact function to isolate individuals from real social interaction while also disrupting the patterns of rest, silence and reflection that are necessary for healthy human development.

Oh, speaking of new technologies, check out the Vatican YouTube Channel!

To read more Beyond Blue, go to http://blog.beliefnet.com/beyondblue, and to get to Group Beyond Blue, a support group at Beliefnet Community, click here.

To subscribe to "Beyond Blue" click here.

Okay, let's say there really IS something out there called Internet addiction. What does one do about it? Recently an old pal, upon seeing that I went from 50 Facebook friends to 500 in only two months (yah!) sent me a book, "Breaking Free of the Web: Catholics and Internet Addiction" by Kimberly Young, Phy.D. and Patrice Klausing, O.S.F. I thought their advice was pretty good, for the most part, except for the confession stuff. Because, I've admitted this before, I'm just not real comfortable with that sacrament. I say we label it like Pluto, and bump it out of the solar system, I mean universe of Catholic sacraments. Here are their five steps for Catholics caught in  destructive habits that involve lots of time in front of a computer monitor: 

Since today is the feast of my patron saint, Therese of Lisieux, and it's video day (Wednesday), I thought I'd republish my video on the roses that came when I prayed for all of you, especially those that had been so hurt by suicide in their lives.

We all need our security items: an adult version of a pacifier. Mine is a comfy sweater that I'm always wearing in these videos (much like Mr. Roger's green cardigan) and my medal of St. Therese. But when I'm in a real crisis, I ask God for roses. As you'll see n the video, when I prayed for you guys, a bouquet came to my door.

To view my YouTube video, click here.

To read more Beyond Blue, go to www.beliefnet.com/beyondblue, and to get to Group Beyond Blue, a support group at Beliefnet Community, click here.

I found another cool video that featured several images of St. Therese set to beautiful music. If you love this saint, like I do, you'll like it. To view the YouTube video, click here. To read more Beyond Blue, go...

Beliefnet's Rod Dreher wrote an interesting post on saints and signs while back. You can get to his post by clicking here. I've pasted it below, but you should go to his post to read the interesting stories on the...

Beliefnet recently created a lovely gallery of saints with text by Thomas Craughwell. To get to the gallery, click here. For centuries, the saints of the Roman Catholic Church have served as both inspirations and intercessors. From the lives they...

When I was an assistant editor at U.S. Catholic magazine, I remember publishing a piece by Christine Gudorf called "Don't Cancel That Guilt Trip." She makes a strong case for why we should, as a society, hang on to a little guilt...

Group Beyond Blue member SurvivorForce started a discussion thread called "Are we damned if we commit suicide?" at Group Beyond Blue on Beliefnet's Community. He wrote:  I have heard that some believe suicide is unforgivable, and that God will...

Because I'm on vacation this week, I've decided to publish posts from the two-week test pilot of Beyond Blue back in October of 2006, two months before its initial launch in December 2006. We've come a long way! Throughout my...

Thanks to my friend David Gibson, now I can't blame Catholicism for my guilt complex. To read his post on a recent study showing that Catholics (as well as other Christians) are actually no more guilt-ridden than anyone else,...

I don't know if you've heard but David Gibson, the award-winning religion writer who is the Catholic expert in most (okay, all) circles ever since he converted at the age of 30, is now blogging for Beliefnet! His blog, appropriately...

Gus Lloyd, host of "Seize the Day" on Sirius Radio, the Catholic Channel, posts a 60-second reflection on his personal website everyday. Here is the one that we talked about on the air yesterday: Troubled Hearts Today in the first...

There have been many interesting articles on the state of the American Catholic Church, but I found this essay by Dan Barry in the New York Times especially charming and intriguing, probably because I agree with so much of it....

With Pope Benedict's visit to the US (check out Beliefnet's coverage by clicking here) comes an opportunity for me to explain why Catholicism is, hands down, the best religion for the mentally ill. Here are a few cool devotions...

Be sure to check in with David Gibson, who is blogging for Beliefnet on all aspects of the Pope Benedict's visit in the US, if you want to know why he is here, and how it's going....

My friend Jim Martin has a great video clip from Stephen Colbert's segment about the pope. In true Colbert, it's priceless. Click here to see it. Jim Martin writes: There are few people who are more excited about the pope's...

You’ve heard of people praying with the saints. I’ve done plenty of crying with the saints. But laughing with the saints? I hadn’t thought of going there until Fr. Jim sent me this youtube video of his presentation at the...

I think my friend, Fr. Jim Martin, did an excellent job of explaining where the media went wrong in all the hype about “the new seven deadly sins.” Below I’ve pasted his blog post from “In All Things,” a...

Confession: I had to consult my “Catechism of the Catholic Church” today to review what, exactly, is a mortal sin: A grave infraction of the law of God that destroys the divine life in the soul of the sinner...

I always got a head ache after my class "The Problem with Evil." And I continue to write my professor--Dr. Joe Incandela, a Princeton Ph.D. and a brilliant man--every time something goes really wrong in the world: 9/11, sniper...

Mary Elizabeth Williams is one of my semi-famous friends. She's the Table Talk Host at Salon.com, and every time I page through the TV Guide or People magazine, there her name is. She's also one of the few Catholics in...

Donna Freitas, one of Beliefnet's "Idol Chatter" bloggers, has compiled a beautiful gallery of the spiritual lessons of "The Golden Compass." Donna writes that this movie, and the book by Philip Pullman that it's based on, are far from...

Because it is the Feast of St. Therese today, I wanted to share some quotes of hers with you. Interestingly enough, I met Eric on the feast of St. Therese, which consoles me on those days he says things like:...

One of the first pieces I wrote about my depression was called "Shower of Roses," about my devotion to St. Therese. I was so pleased when Jim Manney, senior editor at Loyola Press (who also just published Jim Martin’s book...

One reason that I love my patron saint so much is that she is about becoming a child before God, and given that I am so childlike (idiotic) in so many way, I like this notion of being a baby...

Since I’ll be attending my friend Fr. Jim Martin's book event tonight, celebrating the release of "A Jesuit Off-Broadway: Center Stage with Jesus, Judas, and Life’s Big Questions," I thought I’d share an excerpt from it that I liked, because...

Fr. Jim Martin wrote the following piece, "In My Soul," about Mother Teresa's dark night for the Catholic weekly magazine, "America": Perhaps Catholics should not have been surprised by the revelations in "Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light", a new...

My friend, Fr. Jim Martin split hairs with Stephen Colbert regarding Mother Teresa's crisis of faith. I'm so proud of him! Click here to view his appearance....

Wow! What a lively discussion there is on the message board of my "Lady Codependency, a Good Samaritan?" post. Thanks, especially to reader Jeri who wrote: I don’t think this lady [me, in case you missed it] is a codependent;...

There is a Bible story that (kind of) goes like this … Lady Codependency was on her way to work one day when a beggar asked her for change. "Come join me for breakfast," she said, wanting desperately to please...

I find it interesting to gather people's opinions on what the right thing to do is when you are hit up for money. One very compassionate person said, "What would Jesus do?" as she gave the beggar a five dollar...

Here's a cool blog post (click here) by Wendy Schuman about the singer Edith Piaf, who prayed to St. Therese of Lisieux (whom she credited with curing her childhood blindness). In the movie, she hears Therese’s voice. I'm always intrigued...

About twice a year, I feel like I’m back on the set of the show “Politically Correct,” sitting across the stage from the beautiful Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (Jane Seymour) and of course the irreverent and sarcastic host Bill Maher...

I wrote an op-ed that ran in the "Baltimore Sun" and other papers shortly after news broke about the Boston priest scandal in winter of 2002. Here are excerpts from that piece: I almost wiped off the black smudge from...

Here's an excellent article written by Douglas Todd for Religion News Service about Archbishop Roussin's depression and how he is fighting for better understanding of mental illness within religious communities.Once again, Roussin is my hero!Archbishop Raymond Roussin remembers the shame...

I have a magnet on my refrigerator that reads "Jesus loves you, but everyone else thinks you're an a—hole." It's a gentle but effective reminder that on those days that I manage to piss off every person around me, God...

I sent my "Mentally Ill, Psychopath, or Evil? I Need to Know" post to a hundred or so of my closest friends. I invited my former theology professors and past and present colleagues in Catholic publishing to weigh in on...

Medical intuitive and renowned author Caroline Myss and I have a few things in common: we both have studied theology, and we were both taught by nuns. But when it comes to interpreting sacred texts, like Teresa of Avila's classic...

I'm going to be appearing regularly on Sirius radio, on the Catholic Channel to discuss my Beyond Blue posts that have Catholic themes. I'll let you know when my next appearance is so you can tune in....

We've had quite a lively discussion on the comments board of my guilt post. It appears I'm not the only one with a guilt complex. But please let me reiterate this point: I do like being Catholic! I like it...

Thank you to reader Peg, who, in addition to her remark about Recovery, Inc., posted the following comment:"As a cradle Catholic and one who was raised in a girls' Catholic boarding school for 10 years (from '49 to '59), I...

"The sacrament of Reconciliation is a place to bring all of our chaos into contact with the healing love of the Lord Jesus," writes Kathryn J. Hermes in her excellent book, "Surviving Depression: A Catholic Approach." Several people--even my therapist...

The Trappist monk Thomas Merton was able to articulate in beautiful language so many of my struggles as a mentally ill person stuck in destructive thoughts and patterns. The following passage from one of his letters (published in a collection...

Thanks to reader Rich for his question about how much to disclose about mental health in a job interview. If he's going for a position in a psychiatric unit, he asked, is it okay to tell them about the mental...

Dear God,It's me, Therese (not Margaret). I hate to be a white, whiny, ungrateful pest (I've been called that before). Really, I do. But I'm feeling a bit like Job (you know, from your instruction book, the Bible). First I've...

I try not to worry too much about discriminations and uninformed labels here on earth because I know the Kingdom of God is stereotype-free. I was reminded of that as I sang the beautiful lyrics to "One Bread, One Body,"...

Any buzz I had going from my HappyLite was definitely killed by Fr. Dave's holiday e-mail. A missionary who travels all around the world, his annual update read a little like a "State of the World" address. And if you've...

Every year for Christmas I send poinsettias to a few special people in my life, and I buy a few for our home (which die quickly because I forget to water them). I always think about the legend of this...

I think about Mary often this time of year. More than usual, which is a lot. Mary loves desperate people--the ones who have already tried Jesus and, for whatever reason, didn't get results. That's how my mom explained it when...

I have prayed the Memorare every day since my mom (and others) told me to go to Mary with my depression. It's clear from the words of this prayer that Mary hears all pleas, but especially those uttered in desperation:"Remember...