I went to the witnesses because of depression. I was clinically depressed and very suicidal. Well, the "paradise on earth" sounded good, didn't it?
It did not cause my depression, but definetly made it worse. I would come back from meetings and field service feeling 10 times worse than when I went. All that you hear is "you're not doing enough, you're not doing enough", "you need to show more love, " on and on. I just can't explain to you how angry and sick this made me feel. It went from "spiritual paradise" to wanting to die all the time...
When I woke up and got some medication for my depression, the "spiritual paradise" became "spiritual questioning" when I had enough self-esteem to figure out that the reason why things were so bad were not my fault. "Lack of love" in the congregation, divisions, back-biting, and people acting like vicious wolves woke me up! I saw this and was disgusted!
How can this be the truth, if everyone is against everyone? And it was not just in one congregation... it was in ALL OF THEM! They were so self-rightcheous! They reminded me more of scribes and pharisees than anything.
Whenever we would go out in service, I would see them laughing at householders... and it made me sick. That was near the end for me.
Depression is still with me, but is under control thanks to meds. I would never go back to that religion where they could pick on me at every chance they could get. Could it cause depression? In my opinion, it does every day of the week. Not in me right now, but countless other witnesses who go through the paces, being tormented by lack of love.