A Minneapolis-area expert on depression will come to Ames Friday night to talk about his experiences with individuals suffering from depression.

Mark Bowen will speak at 7:30 p.m. in MacKay Auditorium during an event sponsored by a campus ministry group.

Bowen, who is a pastor at Evergreen Community Church in Lakeville, Minn., worked for eight years as a registered nurse in a psychiatric ward.

As a result, he saw all kinds of patients that suffered from depression, which he calls the top health problem in America.

“I’ve seen anything from anxiety disorders, physical problems, and suicide attempts,” he said. Bowen said one out of 10 people in America suffers from depression.

“Psychiatrists see people suffering from depression more than from all other people put together,” Bowen said. “Depression is incredibly pervasive. It’s incredibly common.”

Bowen said the No. 1 behavioral reason – and not necessarily the No. 1 cause – for depression is unresolved anger, something he said is definitely true of today’s young adults.

“There’s so much anger in college students and young adults today, and they don’t know where they should go,” Bowen said.

Bowen said therapy is important for the treatment of depression. “I refer people to professional counselors and therapists all the time,” he said. “I believe in the appropriate use of medication under a doctor’s care.”

Bowen also said religion is an important part of suffering and recovering from depression. He said he plans to elaborate on this point during his presentation.

The depression message is only part of the events taking place tonight at MacKay, which are sponsored by The Rock, a student campus ministry.

Free food and drinks will be provided after the events.

Tim Borseth, campus director for The Rock, said the group invited Bowen to speak at the event because of his extensive background in the issue.

“He not only has a lot of spiritual insight into the matter, but also he has professional insight because he has worked in the field and has done extensive counseling for people affected by depression,” Borseth said.

Borseth said depression affects everyone in some manner. “Either we ourselves or someone we know suffers from depression,” he said. “Depression is reaching near-epidemic proportions in our society.”