Blondie makes an excellent point. There are so many different reasons as to why a person develops a mental illness it isn't fair or correct to place that blame on a religion.
XJW's and Mental Health Disorders
by ColdRedRain 32 Replies latest jw friends
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HadEnuf
I also have to agree with Blondie. Mental disorders such as being Bi-polar or suffering from chronic depression are genetic. I suffer from chronic depression as did my mother and an aunt of mine on her side; plus the added bonus of depression on my dad's side of the family. A double whammy.
BUT...I really believe that being a JW AGGRAVATES these types of illnesses because of the unnecessary pressure put upon those in the organization. Also the fact that the elders are NOT trained to deal with mental illness and end up making your problems worse with their inexperience and total lack of compassion for those who suffer from such diseases.
So my opinion is that being a JW does not help anyone who has a history of mental illness...but rather makes things worse. Of course if you leave, then you have the added pressure from JW relatives and friends who decide to shun you. Yup...that really helps my depression!
On the other hand...I have felt a certain sense of relief in just not being on the JW treadmill and have also saught (is that a word? How is that spelled...come on all you people who used to win spelling bees; I'm too lazy to get out my dictionary) professional help and am on medications that have helped me enormously. Sure beats the advice of a CO who told me that my depression was the result of a "secret sin" that I was not acknowledging or repenting of. Jeesshhhhhhhhhh...can anyone be that ignorant??? YES YES and YES!!
Amen...Cathy L.
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Nowhere
Genetic? It is all to easy to blame your genes. Sure, genetic factors can be part of the problem, but a depression is far more complex than that. A depression is the human brain's way to hide the real problem. Instead of dealing with the problem, you become mentally ill. The use of medication can never cure the disease, only help the brain to control it's behaivior. And of course your religion can stimulate a mentall illness, especially when the religion is an evil cult, which tries to break you down and insert it's own bullshit propaganda. But who is really mentally sane? Frued once said: "Give me a sane man, and I will cure him"
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I once asked a Presiding Overseer why he thought that there were so many people in the congregation with emotional problems. He said it was because the members of the congregation are trained to go out looking for people with emotional problems. This leads to more people with emotional problems going out and recruiting even more people with emotional problems.
It sort of made sense to me.
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got my forty homey?
Does always wanting to be high, not liking people, not shaking hands, not kissing people, going through rages of anger, drinking heavily, thinking about doing violence to strangers, collecting weapons, hating your co-workers,wanting to rob banks, signs of any mental illness?
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Elsewhere
I think the WTS attracts people with mental disorders and then further aggravates the disorders in members by their policy of discouraging mental health treatment. Preexisting problems are also inflamed by their teaching people that they are surrounded by and being attacked by invisible evil demon forces. Then there are the people with preexisting disorders related to paranoia that are inflamed by the WTS?s teachings that they are constantly being targeted by persecution.
Ex-members then experience a crisis of faith and disillusionment when they realize that they were duped by a high control religion. Many are left with the fear and guilt that they are offending God. This, again, results in further aggravation of any preexisting mental conditions... and will actually create new disorders in previously healthy individuals.
"By their fruits you will know them"
"I want mercy, not sacrifice" -
bakedmonkeepie
I suffer from Anorexia, Bulimia, seasonal depression, and social anxiety disorder. My therapist's all say that it comes from the pressures of trying too hard to be accepted by others and how they perceive me. I know I can honestly blame the society for my mental troubles. This isn't something that ran in my family, so it wasn't genetics that caused this to happen to me. It came from constantly feeling that everything I did wasn't good enough, that I might slip and say the wrong things, etc...... Special thanks to my "brothers and sisters" at the hall. :^/
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gitasatsangha
Meditation has been a big help to me. Everyoen in my family besides me has had soem form of antidepressan prescribed to them. Typical JWs.
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orangefatcat
When I was in my twenties, I was diagnosed with having Bi-polar waves in my brain. As far as I know I was the only one in our family to have it. I have been on medication for over 30yrs. Without medication it would be dreadful so I am grateful for medication. I remember for years how the Society use to say if you need anti-depressants or tranquilizers, it was an approach to the Demons. My parents were vehemently opposed to my taking medicine as my mom would say you are opening your mind to the demons. I started to take a new drug for the treatment of pain. It was and is still considered a rather unorthodox approach to the management of pain. In most patients this treatment doesn't work but there is a certain percentage that do get relief and doctors are unable to understand the complexities of this medication. All they know is that it works for some and not others. It is given intervenously and if you are in anyway sensative to this drug with a single cc of this drug can send you on a hallucinagenic trip, or seizures and people have reported gortesque visions and dreams with this. Many have said that they see the devil. So it is only a select few that have this treatment. I was on the treatment for 17 yrs and just about 6 months ago the pharamecutical companies stopped making this drug. So just recently the doctor told me that they have a similar drug has the same interaction as the other. I told him that nothing was working anymore. So I have declined the continuing of the treatment. My point, as I see I have drifted here was this. My parents freaked right out when I started this course of treatment . And my mom told me that the demons would be on my trail. yada yada yada!!!! I have heard it all. She just harped all the time I was wicked and I was no good, you know the drivel...
So in recent yrs the doctor told both my mother and my sister that they needed to take medication for their mental stress and disorders. As there are many variations of mental illness. My mom has compulsive and obsessive disorder, and my sister is stressed mentally to the max. Any way they both are now on anti depressants and mom is on zoloft which is used widely in the are of COD. Now it was my turn to say to them. "Its funny how you condemned me for taking these types of medications for my mental illness and now all of a sudden its okay in your eyes now." Its no longer an approach to the demons. My mom said, well the Society sees that they were a wrong. Yea mom and all those other yrs I was your demonized daughter. How narrowminded can they get.
I have always been an upbeat person despite my bi polar condition. I am very happy and content. So in my opinion is this, I believe that certain types of mental illnesses are brought on by stress and I know being a JW is one of the most stressful things in life. I have had both my therapist and doctor tell me that many JWs suffer from mental illness. I know some have a genic factors or predisposed and others are brought on by enviromental conditions. The way you live your life. Mental illness was around long before JWs so I think that some illness is attributated to type of life style that is imposed upon person and JWs.
Thats my story and I am stickin to it....
Homey u got issues man....!!!
Love Orangefatcat.
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Stealth
GM40H
Does always wanting to be high, not liking people, not shaking hands, not kissing people, going through rages of anger, drinking heavily, thinking about doing violence to strangers, collecting weapons, hating your co-workers,wanting to rob banks, signs of any mental illness?
Do you really need to ask? If your refering to yourself, get some profesional help.
