I have have come to realize most "RANK AND FILE" JW's are mentally unstable-to-ill and here is why...
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/mental-issues.php
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_delusion
RELIGION AND MENTAL ILLNESS!!!
by ADJUSTMENTS 34 Replies latest jw friends
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ADJUSTMENTS
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Marvin Shilmer
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Jehovah's Witnesses and mental illness at: http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2011/09/mental-illness.html
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Giordano
From my memories of being a JW I have come to understand that rational ignorance is an important part of the mindset of a believer. It is an important shield that protects one's version of the truth. belief.
A believer makes a rational decision that the results of learning about a subject, like the great flood for example, outweighs the benefits.
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Phizzy
Very true Giordano, and true of me as a JW. Whenever I came across facts that contradicted my belief, I rationalised them in some way, and would not let myself investigate further.
It is a mental technique that, being a born-in, is virtually hard-wired.
I am just glad that eventually I was able to make myself examine my beliefs in the light or reality and rationality, and above all,Truth.
I am thankful beyond words for this Site, which played the major part in getting rid of my delusional state.
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joe134cd
Mental illness in the religious community is not just an issue with the JWS. Utah state has twice the national average of prescribed anti depressant medication.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=4403731
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Xanthippe
Not to mention the effects it has on the rest of the body apart from the brain. My cousin has never been in the JWs and I heard from her that one of my sisters has fibromyalgia, ME and now a stomach ulcer. My other sister has type 2 diabetes but then she is about 20 stone. My brother is piling on the weight and was sloshing down the booze at my cousins wedding anniversary party. Happiest people in the world
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rebel8
most "RANK AND FILE" JW's are mentally unstable
Mental illness is a medical condition, diagnosed by professionals using specific medical criteria.
Believing in something that isn't true doesn't by itself mean someone is mentally ill. If that were true, most kids would be mentally ill because they believe in Santa Claus. Or people who are superstitious about the number 13. etc.
I don't doubt mental illness is common among dubs, as it's common among the general population and dubs have additional risk factors. But I'm having trouble with the word "most" in the OP, in absence of evidence.
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blondie
I agree rebel8 that mental illness is rooted in medical causes, such as schizophrenia, bipolar, etc. They brain (physical) diseases. That is why they are treated with medications. Even trained physicians find it hard to easily diagnose people, experimenting with one med after another till one fits. Along with that therapy is necessary to help them adjust to their past actions when untreated.
Trained mental health professionals would never think to diagnose someone they have never met professionally. Non-professionals are not qualified for sure.
The points you give are very logical and give us something to think about.
I can believe that non-jws are attracted to the paradise promises...a cure for their malady.
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steve2
Good points Rebel8 and Blondie. Mental illness is no respecter of religious beliefs or otherwise. Talk about higher prevalence rates of "mental illness" among JWs unfairly renders a complex topic into a simplistic bumper sticker argument.
Gerry Bergman, the one-time Witness, who spear-headed the higher-prevalence-rate-among-the- Witnesses argument, revealed his own shockingly shoddy research abilities. Not once did he consider the need to tighten up definitions of "mental illness" or acknowledge alternative explanations if indeed there was a higher incidence of "mental illness" among Witnesses.
Basing an argument on one's own "professional" observations is one thing, but to offer those observations as solid evidence for asserting a higher incidence than "the general population" exposes the author's own lack of awareness of the fundamentals of sound "scientific research".
Worse, Bergman wrapped his "work" up in an aura of scientific inquiry, leaving so many aspects of his "work" looking like wishful thinking (i.e., the Watchtower is so bad it not only creates mental illness but does so at higher rates than the general population). A double assertion that is awash in a sea of any-which-way-argument.
This whole topic has been thoroughly discussed in threads on this forum some years ago, but like a tsunami of convenient ignorance, even-handed discussion is dashed aside by damning sloganeering that fits the worst aspects of the anti-Watchtower literature.
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ADJUSTMENTS
So it's not just RANK and FILE JW's who are mentally ill, the links go on to show most religious people are, and the prevalence of mental illness increases with the amount of control the religious group/cult has over the individual. High control groups equals higher incidents of mental illness. So not ALL witnesses of course but a large majority if not most are mentally ill or at the least delusional. The problem is mental health is a very taboo subject, as you can see even in this forum. I can almost hear someone saying: SHUSH!!! Uh-oh... am I hearing things now??? I think I need to see a shrink... 😜