Does Being A Jehovah’s Witness Lead To Disorders?

by The wanderer 42 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  The wanderer

  Does Being A Jehovah’s Witness Lead To Disorders?

  The life of being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses was a challenging one at best
  and an agonizing one at worst. I recall the days of my “black depression”
  and mood swings and wonder if my religious beliefs connected with the
  Watchtower had anything to do with it.

  Emotional , Psychological And Health Disorders

  As formerly mentioned, my days of “black depression” I feel
  were due in part to the anxiety of never being able to do
  enough to satisfy the raging fire known as the Watchtower
  Society.
  
  The fear of dying at Armageddon was always present in my mind.
  
  Today, I am a healthy individual.

  Do you think some of the beliefs connected with the Watchtower can lead to disorders?

  Why?

  Respectfully,

  The Wanderer
• 

  Honesty

  Absolutely.

  Look at all the JW's in the kingdom halls who are on antidepressants and who are always sighing about how they wish this system would end.

  Too bad they don't have Jesus.

  I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance. John 10:10
• 

  jaguarbass

  Hello Richard, I'm sure hanging out in kingdome halls has to be stressful. Continued stress can lead to chronic conditions. Also observing the hypocracy and double standards and living in it is stressful.

  Now that you mention it, I think growing up in the 50's-60's with the cuban missle crissis, and armegeddon and air-raids going off all the time, wacked me out. Along with the fear that I would be killed at armegeddon for eating that milky way or 3 muskateers bar which I would sneak up at the corner. Or for pledging the allegiance to the flag because I couldnt understand why my mother said I had to be different for Jehober. Or sitting in the school office during holiday celebrations. I didnt know to tell them when I was in the 4th grade that my mother was a wacko. I didnt even know it back then.

  Life is a deadly disease.
• 

  Numinous

  There is a tendancy to be obcessive compulsive when there is a lack of control in one's life. Even the Bible says that the one overly oppressed will act crazy. When we put off living for today, in a life of misery, for a reward tomorrow, it goes against the nature of the human being.
• 

  Blueblades

  The Watchtower Society claims that Jehovah's Witnesess are the best oriented, the most contented, the healthiest and happiest people on earth. They have a Medical Track Record, a long history of commenting on medical issues and instructing its followers on medical procedures, recommending some and banning others.

  Consulting a Psychiatrist or Psychologist is banned.The problem of Mental Illness and Psychological problems among Jehovah's Witnesees is a very real presence that leaves them in emotional turmoil. They are told to turn to the Bible for wisdom in handling their problems.They are left to fend for themselves.This in turn leads to many disorders among them. Many such problems are quietly swept under the rug. Pills, Pills and more Pills are the order of the day.

  The higher ups have also been affected with nervous breakdowns etc.

  Blueblades
• 

  mathilde

  Yes,I think so.

  Just look at how strange many JW´s are.They think that anyone not JW is a slave of Satan so they fear most people around them but they also despise them and enjoy the thought that these friends of Satan will all die in the big A.Isn´t that a strange way of thinking?

  There is such a pressure on a JW- You feel you never do enough,you feel guilty about stupid things like the books you enjoy to read or the music you like to hear- giving a gift to a friendly neighbour at her birthday-and the list of "bad things" goes on and on and on-watch out-Satan is tempting you...It would make anybody strange.

  Isn´t it crazy to feel guilty when you spend time with your family and skip FS?

  Or they ask where you were last sunday as you were not in the hall?Like you have to explain... Once,a friday afternoon, I was driving from Denmark to Holland as I wanted to visit some family for the week -end- when a sister called me. I was somwhere in Germany and she wanted me to come to the hall with her on sunday.I told her I wasn´t coming home before sunday evening and the woman started to tell me how important it was to go to the meetings and blablabla. She wanted me to come home sooner and attend the meeting in my own hall.I hung up on her.(sorry there´s a tunnel her...blip blip)

  I think she felt she was doing the right thing and wanted to keep me "strong" but what I realy needed was some time out. I needed the company of my family without thinking of the WT. Looking back I can see that I wanted to be "normal"

  there is always judgement hanging over your head -from the old sister sitting beside you to Jehovah himself-judgement and demands.

  The result for many JW´s is very often :stress or depression or burnout and way to often: all of these together.The clever ones realize that what should be the corner stone of their lives- in reality is a mill stone around their neck -and get rid of it.

  Mathilde
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  Hortensia

  well it would be really interesting if someone would do an actual study, comparing anxiety disorder, for instance, among JWs compared to the general population. Hard to get JWs to participate, probably, and if they know what the purpose of the study is, they'd probably put on the happy face and lie.
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  delilah

  Hey, these are Jehovah's "happy" people, they look forward to living forever in paradise, this world is only temporary, and yet.................. I've never met so many, un-happy people, who are in need of anti-depressants, and psychiatrist's visits, in my life. It's sad really.
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  Sasha

  are you kidding? I am certifiable (literally) from a life spent in the JW forum......
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  aquagirl

  you are right.the dubs are VISIBLY disturbed....