Will the Depression Excuse Be Killed?

by WTWizard 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  WTWizard

  I am hearing a lot about people that are fading using that they are depressed to get out of their assignments. Those with burdens privileges use the "depression" excuse to get out of their assignments. Often, people will claim to be depressed in order to be a handy excuse for poor meeting attendance and spotty field circus participation.

  I am wondering if it's only a matter of time before the drug companies are going to get together with the leaders in this cult for a "solution". That would serve the drug companies' interests in getting everyone on the planet on drugs, and the Watchtower Society's interests in removing this "excuse". What would happen is that there would be a new type of committee. If anyone is slacking, the hounders would get together and see if they are "depressed". If they are, or they seem to be, they would consult a doctor that is licensed under this arrangement to prescribe a pill. With all the ads touting Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil for everyday problems, it would be a matter of prescribing one of these pills.

  Then, the person would be regularly monitored. Since if the person is "depressed", taking the pill would "ensure" that the person would put in the requisite amount of time. And, without the pill, the "depression" could return and result in less time. This would provide impetus to treat non-taking of the medicine as a judicial offense. In theory, it would mean that the Watchtower Society could mask any problems with mental health and keep the people out in field circus under the pretense of "being happy".

  There is a steep price for this. The drugs don't always work. And, sometimes they create new problems including psychosis that were not there before the drugs were started. People starting these drugs have been known to commit violent crimes including massacres while taking prescribed psychiatric medicine. And they are often "out of it", not feeling like going out in service. Besides, these drugs always ruin the brain and the liver (that's how they work, by impeding activity in the brain and by damaging the liver in the process of metabolism). Many people on these drugs are sensitive to light (limiting time in field circus in summer) and heat (stinky). They are also more likely to get severe headaches, nausea, and infections. (Sources can be found at www.sntp.net/drugs/drugs.htm ).

  For sure, this is not a good way to keep people in the fold. I am hoping that, if they try this, that people will have a new excuse to not go out. Their drug made them feel like puking or that they had a big headache. Since the drugs' effects do not abate (though the headaches sometimes ease up), this is an excuse as long as the person is on the drugs. And, if they go off the drugs, the original "depression" can once again be used as an excuse to fade. And, if they insist on prescribing dangerous drugs to keep people out longer, I hope people will use that as the excuse to just plain walk out.

  I bet those window washers cannot think of these side effects of these chemicals. They think that a drug will cure the problem as long as it is taken faithfully. Boy, are they in for a rude awakening if they ever do pull this crap.
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  Scully

  I think JWs are so terrified of the prospect of having a mental illness, and are still grappling with the WTS-endorsed notion that psychiatrists are quacks and charlatans and that mental illness itself is demonic in etiology, that their default when having to deal with people who say they are suffering from depression is to AVOID them like the plague, so they don't "catch" it. It's just too scary for them to get involved too deeply. There are other illnesses that you can have or even just claim to have that don't carry the same stigma with JWs as mental illness does, that will get you out of so many Privileges™.

  Desperate Housewives Spoiler Alert!

  Last season, Lynette was found to have cancer. She's having chemo. She decided that she wasn't going to tell anyone but Tom about being sick. She's plodding along, hair falling out, putting on a wig, keeping up as best she can with her Type A personality lifestyle in order to keep her secret, so nobody pities her, so the friendships don't change and people she loves don't think differently of her for having cancer.

  In the last episode, the annoying PTA mother that's always dumping chores on Lynette tells her that she has an obligation and a deadline to meet. Lynette does what Lynette always does and obliges. Toward the end of the episode, though, the annoying PTA mother starts harassing her about the deadline again. Lynette takes a breath and pulls her wig off, revealing her bald head and says "I have cancer". Immediately, the other woman backs off and retreats, saying she'll get someone else to do it instead.

  I think that this might be the wave of the future for JWs. Actually it already is happening - illnesses that are stress related have been reported in increasing numbers among JW. Things like lupus, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression - all very subjective and practically invisible to the casual observer, but with very real, sometimes very painful, sometimes debilitating symptoms. Other people just have to take your word for it that you're sick, because you just can't "see" anything physically wrong with them, like you would with a broken leg for example. What a great way to get out of Privileges™ at the Kingdom Hall, because other JWs are suspicious of your motives the second you let them know you've got a diagnosis like this.

  I had an interesting experience when I was dealing with postpartum depression years ago. Mr Scully and I decided it would be nice to go out to a concert for an evening - it was the first concert I'd ever attended in my life. It was our favorite group at the time - The Rankin Family. It was a great diversion, and recommended by the doctor to try to do things that were enjoyable. It was not on a meeting night. We had a local JW teenager babysitting for us. It wasn't a big secret. After the concert, we were looking at the merchandise tables and we saw a couple from our congregation - an Elder™ (congregation secretary actually) and his wife. The next meeting the School Overseer approaches me with an assignment and says "And don't even think about cancelling. Brother Congregation Secretary informed me that he saw you at a concert recently, so if you can go to a concert, you can do your talk assignment." I know it was passive aggressive of me, but I didn't cancel. I just didn't show up. When he challenged me and attempted to scold me afterward, I just said "You told me not to cancel - I didn't cancel. I just didn't have the energy to be up in front of an audience. I'm not supposed to be under that kind of pressure. Doctor's orders." I never got another talk assignment after that. LOL
• 

  fresia

  the w/t awknowledges that clinical depression is a real problem and should be treated by a professional and drugs are needed to help with the clinical imbalance. But the elders can't deal with mental illness they have no idea, and why should they? they are just guys that wanted to reach out and whamo, they realise it is a wasteland of nutters, I believe that JW organization attracks people with mental illness, and those that don't get help for problems that have been in the org many years become mentalily ill.
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  metatron

  I wouldn't get too paranoid about the Watchtower's losses due to depression. If they haven't found

  out already, this subject is like trying to push a rope.

  I am continually surprized at the utter lack of shame or disgrace that Watchtower leaders have.

  With so many taking Prozac/Paxil/Welbutrin/Etc for anxiety or depression, you'd think they'd cringe

  but no. The same goes for their losses of Witness kids. They seem to be beyond any sense of

  appropriate emotion or conscience.

  metatron
• 

  Paralipomenon

  The WTS suggesting medication without the benefit of a clinical diagnosis would open them up to so many lawsuits it would make their lawyers explode.
• 

  WTWizard

  The WTS suggesting medication without the benefit of a clinical diagnosis would open them up to so many lawsuits it would make their lawyers explode.

  And that would make the pedophile scandal look like nothing. With all the backlash out there on the Internet lately against psychiatric medicine, I am hoping that having these window washers ordering people to take drugs like these would be all it takes to ruin the Watchtower Society.
• 

  fresia

  Elder once said to me that depression was no excuse to miss a meeting.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  While the hounders will likely hound more rather than less, depression will remain as a
  "valid" excuse. Elders are scarcely trained to actually help people. They are just lower
  management in a "keep busy" organization. They just know how to police and tell the
  folks to keep busy.

  They are afraid to advise depressed people beyond, "Go to meetings and sell magazines."
  They will tell the depressed folks that, but except for the few stupid ones, they will not
  insist on getting involved in the actual diagnosis and medication phases.

  If Mother comes up with such an idea, just think of the huge increase in lawsuits against
  WTS for insisting on members taking medication and insisting on certain activity from
  depressed, medicated people. Also, there would be lawsuits over the violation of healthcare
  privacy. Great idea.
• 

  shopaholic

  I know it was passive aggressive of me, but I didn't cancel. I just didn't show up. When he challenged me and attempted to scold me afterward, I just said "You told me not to cancel - I didn't cancel. I just didn't have the energy to be up in front of an audience. I'm not supposed to be under that kind of pressure. Doctor's orders." I never got another talk assignment after that.

  Scully...you rock!!!
• 

  5go

  Skully your experience sound like the one I had at work! I had depression, and I hid for as long as I could from my boss. Then I told only one problem he is the type that thinks mental illnesses are a phony illness. Which if he bothered to ask the rest of his employees that work for him he would find several others that are depressed and tend to quit because of his treatment of them. Needless to say I quit and went to go get my check to find he is still having a hard time finding people. It helped the depression a little to hear that.