Suicide and JW'S (page 6)

larrynbabies

In brain imaging studies, researchers have found that the hippocampus—a part of the brain critical to memory and emotion—appears to be different in cases of PTSD. Scientists are investigating whether this is related to short-term memory problems. Changes in the hippocampus are thought to be responsible for intrusive memories and flashbacks that occur in people with this disorder.
People with PTSD tend to have abnormal levels of key hormones involved in response to stress. Some studies have shown that cortisol levels are lower than normal and epinephrine and norepinephrine are higher than normal.
When people are in danger, they produce high levels of natural opiates, which can temporarily mask pain. Scientists have found that people with PTSD continue to produce those higher levels even after the danger has passed; this may lead to the blunted emotions associated with the condition.
Research to understand the neurotransmitter systems involved in memories of emotionally charged events may lead to discovery of medications or psychosocial interventions that, if given early, could block the development of PTSD symptoms.
Larrynbabies

RAYZORBLADE

What I remember.

I was a devout JW. I believed in it, and everything about it. The interpretation of the bible, scriptural passages, doctrines and beliefs, you name it.

When that was no longer part of my life, after I had given myself over to it, I was left with a psychological reaction that was undisputedly: grim, without hope, no future.

I had contemplated suicide many times after I was out of the organization. I was also extremely depressed. One is so conditioned to have only associates within the Borg., thus your survival techniques outside of the 'truth' are damaged, warped and marred. All the so-called 'life skills' have been changed, altered or eliminated as a result of having been a JW.

If someone was raised in it, it must be far worse.

Have I heard of JW suicides/suicide attempts? Yes.

From those that have posted their personal experiences, there is no doubt that the connection with the JWs contributed a great deal to their loved ones taking their own lives. They were there, they saw the affect the organization had upon their loved ones, and themselves.

Some people would rather take their own life, than letting Jehovah destroy them at Armageddon. I can bet you that this is a driving force for some of these desperate people to take such drastic measures.

Aztec

All I can say is ...

Dede, thank you for sharing. You and your mother do, in fact, look quite a bit alike. I can't even imagine the pain of losing your mother at such a young age. I think our father's would get along quite well though.

Ray, I went through something similar. I was suicidal for a while, not that I ever told anyone. I stood in my living room for hours thinking "there's no point". I couldn't even cry. All I could do was stare at the wall and list over and over the reasons I wasn't needed on this planet. I think the only thing that stopped me was my son. I couldn't leave him alone.

I have more to tell but I'm getting very upset and I think I should wait until I feel more rational and less emotional.

~Aztec

dedalus

Wow. Some amazing stories here. LE, your mother was beautiful. I don't know how to describe her picture's affect on me. Human faces get lost in discussion boards -- the photo of your mother puts a face on what might otherwise be fairly abstract to me.

As for me -- well. My parents' proud boast was that if any one of their four sons decided not to be a Witness, he would be kicked out of the house. When I was thirteen I told my parents I had serious doubts about the truth of their religion; my mother threatened to put me in foster care. I felt, constantly, that Jehovah's Witnesses were a bizarre, cruel, bloodthirsty religion with which I could never reconcile myself. I led a double life in two senses: I was constantly doing things I fundamentally disagreed with (going to meetings and out in service, studying the magazines, speaking the rhetoric), and I had some non-Witness friends I kept secret from my parents.

One night, when I was sixteen, my parents found a journal in which I wrote candidly about these things. The night is a blur, but I recall yelling a lot, not very articulately, knocking over a chair, running away for a while, and coming home because there was no other place to go. My parents embraced me when I came back, told me not to worry, that the elders would help me, and I told them I was sorry, very sorry, for not being the kind of person they wanted me to be.

That night I swallowed two bottle's worth of Tylenol gelcaps.

The next few days are sort of blurry. There was a psychiatrist with one arm who asked me questions about Hitchcock movies as he tried to open and eat a plastic cup of yogurt. There were Pepsi drinks mixed with rancid medicine. There was a nurse who promised not to tell anyone if I confided in him why I'd done it. I told him that my parents only wanted me if I was in their religion, and I didn't think I could wait until I was old enough to leave it. It felt like the first honest thing I'd said in years. The nurse, of course, told my parents, and my parents confronted me with it, and naturally I denied having said it.

And before too long, life went on as before, more or less; I never made another attempt.

What I did was stupid and weak and I hope I'm not romanticizing it here. I don't know why I swallowed pills that night and not any of the other nights when I felt alone and depressed beyond anything I can hope to describe here. I can say that the weight of living an unforgivable "double life," and the alienation I felt from any "real" connection with my parents -- and the peculiar "Witness" way these otherwise common adolescent complaints were dramatized in my life -- caused a sort of despair that became desperate one night. The decision I made then, an irresponsible one, was my own, but I didn't make it in a vacuum.

Dedalus

Aztec

Dedalus, you told it just right!

~Az

proplog2

The name of this thread is "Suicide and JW's"

The implication of this heading is that there is a connection between the two. Others felt that way too. Here are a few of the comments I read before posting.

mostly as a result of his treatment by the elders.
The correlation in this org is so great – that it blows my (non-JW) wife’ mind.
I think the suicide incidence among dubs would be a startling statistic. I am aware of 3. It would be good if we could start a database and keep a record. I am sure there would be some common elements to the experiences. I think the WTs gets away with a lot here.
Their cure for everything is: Get more self indoctrinated. No feelings for people in extreme pain.
The Society never helps anyone with their problems.. They just make it worse with all of the guilt-trips they put on you..
This is a rampant problem in the organization.
. It is amazing how this is so prevalent and yet they advertise that they are the happiest people on the fast of the earth. If that is happiness...give me the opposite. ......................................
To me the WT is like a mother who eats her own children.

I still say that is garbage. I don't regret in the least presenting a rebuttal to non-sense. I sympathize with the feelings of loss that suicide grievers feel. But if guilt is such a bad thing - don't pass it along by playing the blame-game.

You all can go to hell.

cruzanheart

You all can go to hell.

We've been there and back, thank you. And we have no intention of making another trip.

Nina

LyinEyes

LOL @ Nina,,,,,,,,,girl you said it!!!!!!!! we have been there and done that.

Honestly Proplog,I mentioned earlier that I didnt want to bash you for your opinions and I still feel very sorry for you in that you just are unwilling to at least think about this. I mean, who of us here on earth know for a fact everything there is to know about any one subject. I mean we have to try to be openminded and try to embrace other reasonings. I even agree with you on some of the things you have said, I can say that maybe all JW suicides have little or nothing to do with the borg. I just don't know.

Please don't take take that we all who have lived thru suicide, are attacking you, we just want you to understand the real danger out there , is sooooooooo many times JW related.

Dedalus, I am so glad you made it thru that dark period in your life,my teenage years were quite similar, when my dad found my book of what he called "dark" poetry . He lead me by the hand and made me burn my journal in the fireplace , cause it was demonized.

Some people would rather take their own life, than letting Jehovah destroy them at Armageddon. I can bet you that this is a driving force for some of these desperate people to take such drastic measures.

Now, that is a profound explanation on how I felt as a teenager,,,,,,, I couldnt stand the thought of letting Jehovah down and to be personally destroyed by him was the worst punishment in the world. I would have rather , offed myself than to disgrace God by my actions. ( I have no idea if this is highlighted or not,,,,,,,,look like it.........) Dede

ballistic

Who the hell said that??? I scanned the posts again but couldn't see it.

(the post above the one above) - added

Big Tex

You all can go to hell.

I'll take that under advisement.

Suicide and JW'S

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