I was on Zoloft, 100 mg/day for the last 10 years or so that I was a JW. I also weighed over 400 pounds. I stopped using the Zoloft right after making the final break with the org (which came when my ex-wife and I split up) and have since gotten my weight down around 250 (and still losing). Coincidence? I don't think so...
Do Jehovah's Witnesses Depend on Mental Illness?
by metatron 38 Replies latest jw friends
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codeblue
Excellent thread
Thanks for sharing this "info", it makes a lot of sense.
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upside/down
Ditto- absolute agreement!
Diagnosed with severe depression, heavily medicated on the usuals....
Quit the bOrg. 99%cured (or remission?) My mind no longer races endlessly trying to cope with all their crap!
No meds. Of course "they" say that is just because Satan is "blessing" my not being in the bOrg. How rediculous is that? J and His people couldn't help me but S can?
u/d
p.s.- without "mental illness" you no longer have your "out" for meetings and service- it's a very convenient ailment for a Dub.
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justhuman
Mentall illness is the number one problem among the Jw's. I have observed that many of them are suffering with deepretion, fear. So the GB needs to have sick people in order to control them
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Holey_Cheeses*King_of_the juice.
metatron,
As usual you have provided a thought-provoking, meaningful and insightful topic. To give credit where credit is due, your posts are always a highlight on this forum and I am sure I can speak for many others when I state that you are a much appreciated poster.
cheeses. of-the-not-one-to-give-praise-unwarranted-class.
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lonelysheep
I agree completely. So well put!
The further studying my stepmom did, which led to being baptized, the more depressed she got. Of course to her, the two didn't go hand in hand.
The more I was pushing myself to do
jehovah'sthe WT's will, the more depressed and suicidal I got! -
metatron
Thanks guys, I appreciate your comments. I continue to hope that 2005 might be the year when we see the tide turn on the
Watchtower Society. At some point, a critical mass of people could emerge in Western congregations that suddenly are conscious
of the sterile stasis that has been "life in the truth" for them. When that happens, there's no turning back and their authority melts
away like a snowball on a Vegas sidewalk. Like the end of Communism in Europe, things quietly decay for a very long time
and then abruptly change when a sufficient number of people collectively realize that their leadership is a dead burden.
metatron
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Dansk
Hi Met,
are they just being programmed?
Without doubt. Whoever coined the term 'Borg' to relate to JWs was spot on. JWs ARE being programmed and it's only the medications that "get them through". I know of so many who were/are on medication - including, my sister told me (she was never a JW), my two daughters now who are only 25 & 20. The suicides and near suicides are also testimony to the accuracy of your post. I just wish most JWs were able to read it.
Ian
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Mary
Do many of the congregation seem to depend on psychoactive drugs like Prozac or Paxil or Zoloft?
Yep. And after trying to have a rational discussion with Schizm on another post, and reading his insane ramblings as he was trying to defend the Governing Body, I'm convinced that this religion really attracts people who are mentally and emotionally unbalanced. Let's face it: it's much easier to control someone who has low self-esteem, or comes from an abusive family. These people are used to having someone "in authority" tell them what to do, how to think and how to behave, so the structure of this religion seems very familiar to them. Virtually all of the talks focus around one theme: 'What you're doing is not good enough. You need to do more". To someone with low self-esteem, this feels very familiar so in a strange way, it's comforting to know that they're not living up to God's standards. Then, fear of pissing Jehovah off leads to more depression, especially with the "false friends" there insinuating that if you just did more, Jehovah would approve of you. Before you know it, you're taking anti-depressants to try and stabilize your mood swings, but it's easy to slip into a fog.
It seems that "the happiest people on earth" are also the "the most drugged up people on earth."
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orangefatcat
Met, fantastic post. you have hit the nail on the head with the way Jehovahs' Witnesses suffer from several forms of mental illness.
Last January I posted this, check it out if you have a chance
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/65690/1.ashx
It's mostly about COD. Of which many suffer from. Although speaking for myself I didn't suffer that condition. I think that when my mental health started breaking down I was very young. My dad was a terrible alcoholic and life was violent and hateful. It wasn't until becoming a JW did my real problems with mental health become manifest. I do believe it was the fact that we had to do everything in life the way JWs' wanted you to live. Their rules and regulations. You never lived for yourself it was the WATCHTOWER way of life. BRAINWASHING> we in essence became robots and yesbots and were no longer true to ourselves. The true defination of being a member of a cult..
I was 19 years of age when I saw my first therapist and through out my life I have spoke more time with therapist than my own family. I started out on Valium. It seemed to work but then doctor started me on dilantin, librium, from that to Ativan, than Rivotril..from that to Elival, Imprimine, and a few others. From that I graduated to stelazine, chlorpromizine, and what ever other drug for bi polar depression , depression and anxiety. I was a living a pharmecuticals dream. I tried very hard to stop anti- depressants for a while, but I became worse, because I believe live was so extreme in the Organization. Do this do that, put up with this put up with that. Meetings service, study, bible studys preparing for meeting
trying to live up the society in every facet of live and I even pioneered. Nothing improved my life as a witness. My mental health was shoot. Today I am on effexor, trazadone, ativan. with a few other necessary drugs for living. I tried stopping once again going off gradually hoping to improve but for some reason it never works. So I have accepted the fact I need to carry on living day to day on effexor and other drugs. I consider myself fortunate because I have seen other witnesses break down to the point of committing suicide.
I am glad you posted this and appreiciate the way in which you presented the material. It was GREAT!!!!
Love Orangefatcat..
