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BP author aims to help those struggling with depression

Observer-Reporter - 1/18/2017

Looking back on his life, Bethel Park resident Christopher L. Bishop thinks he was born with a depressive disorder.

"Growing up, I thought I was normal, but through my series of life events, my depression got worse," he said.Things came to a head in January 2015 when his mother-in-law passed away and he grew "exorbitantly sad." While his primary care physician put him on medication, he got another crushing blow when the appointment he looked forward to with his psychiatrist was canceled."When I heard about the appointment, I became suicidal and reckless in the hope that something would happen," Bishop said.Two or three weeks after his mother-in-law died, he was admitted to the hospital for the first time. His four-day stay at St. Clair Hospital came with a diagnosis of depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and seasonal affective disorder, followed by two months of out patient care.Following his release from outpatient care, he went back to work at the Bettis Atomic Energy Lab where he held the position of quality assurance manager for core manufacturing. Ten days later, he was readmitted to Jefferson Hospital, for a five-day stay, followed by another four day admittance into the Clarion Psychiatric Center."More than anything else, my hospitalization gave me a chance to rest and relax," Bishop said. "But it also gave me the skills to manage my depression. Some say you suffer from depression but I like to say you can manage your depression to live a fulfilling life."Born in Texas, Bishop moved with his family to Alabama, where he continued to live until he joined the Navy at the age of 18. Eventually he studied nuclear engineering and earned a degree from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J.After leaving the Navy in 2004, he worked for the Bettis Atomic Power Lab, first in Idaho, then in West Mifflin. While his work in the Navy may have contributed to his depression, he said, his brother's suicide when Bishop was 15 had the "greatest impact on my condition."He decided to chronicle his bouts with depression in a written narrative, and later he came to realize that the book could be used to help others as well.In October 2016, Dorrance Press released "Out of the Depths I Cried: a Christian Guide to Managing Depression." In the book, Bishop answers questions about how to ask for help and about how prayer ? as he now understands it ? can help a person grow through depression. Through it, the reader can learn about the tools he used on the road to recovery.According to Bishop, the book is laid out like a step-by-step guide."If you do these things in order, they kind of build on one another," he said. "In the book I mention my biggest tools ? meditation and prayer ? which were critical to my recovery."Bishop lives in Bethel Park with his wife, two daughters, stepson and three dogs. Another daughter currently resides in Atlanta. As an aid to his recovery he cites interests in music, studying foreign languages, research and writing, and riding a motorcycle.At the moment, Bishop is concentrating on doing research for additional books he intends to write."It's a full time job, but they are all so new, I'm not yet ready to discuss them," he said."Out of the Depths I Cried" is a 270-page paperback with a retail price of $19. The ISBN is 978-1-4809-3278-4, and the book is available online at barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com and dorrancebookstore.com.