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Deborah A. Hill (third from left), Southeast church mem- ber, receives the 2017 Distinguished Alumnus Award and celebrates with John A. Yankey, Case Western Reserve University professor; Sharon E. Milligan, associate dean; and Annette Iwamoto, alumni president.

Story by Bryant Smith

Case Western Reserve University Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences in Cleveland recently honored Deborah A. Hill with the 2017 Distinguished Alumnus Award at an elaborate reception.

Close to 200 community members gather in front of Bridgeton City Hall for the first annual “Hate Has No Home Here.” Image by Michael Schuelke

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

Albert Kelly, mayor of Bridgeton, N.J., and a member of Allegheny East Conference's Bethany church in Bridgeton, recently hosted an anti-hate rally on the steps of Bridgeton City Hall to support the “Hate Has No Home Here” (HHNHH) initiative.

Elliot Smith by Ty Wright AP Images for Visitor Magazine

One member opens up about his experience with depression and how you can't "just pray it away" + Can a fictional book meet the Christian mandate to draw people closer to Christ? Three fiction authors are seeking to do just that. Read more in the January/February 2018 Visitor!

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Photo by Daniel Reche on Pixabay

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Depression, like most mental illnesses, lies on a spectrum,” says Kirk Chung, M.D., medical director of Kettering Adventist HealthCare’s Behavioral Medicine Center in Dayton, Ohio. “Everyone feels down from time to time. Depression, as an illness, is defined by the intensity of its symptoms and duration.”

He adds, major depression is diagnosed by a person suffering with at least five of the following symptoms for a two-week period or longer:

Photo by geralt/16389 Images on Pixabay

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Marissa Leslie, M.D., medical director of Adventist HealthCare’s Behavioral Health division in Gaithersburg, Md., says depression should be viewed more like a very severe flu, a serious illness not dependent on faith.

We don’t tell people with the flu to just pray. We tell them to sleep and drink plenty of water. And we ask how we can help.”

In addition to the powerful tool of prayer, here are a few tangible things she suggests to help loved ones dealing with depression: