Frequently I have seen the subject of Borderlind Personallity Disorder mentioned on this board. Many people here feel that friends or relatives display many of the charactaristics of the disorder. People with histories of abuse seem to be drawn to this religion. Many JW's have depression. Lots of others have emotional issues. Personally, I feel much happier and emotionally stable (not that I was particularly unstable before) now that I no longer believe the JW's. My question is this: Does being a JW cause symptoms that mimic other disorders, and can these symptoms be "cured" by removing the cause (no longer believeing JW). As I said, I feel healthier not being a JW. I also believe that many JWs that I know would be much happier to be out of the JW environment.
Is Being A Jehovah's Witness a Mental Disorder?
by Amber Rose 37 Replies latest watchtower medical
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flipper
Amber- I think being a jw causes a person to develop mental disorders if they haven't had them, and if they had the disorders before, it tends to make it worse. There is so much fear instilled in those people that they are afraid to do anything without first checking if it's approved or disapproved by the powers that be, (the elders) . So it creates a form of paranoia in people that they won't even use the restroom without checking first with the "mother organization". An extreme example I know , but almost accurate! With all the backbiting and gossipping that goes on , it's a wonder more of them aren't carted off in straightjackets after each meeting! Oh, just saw another ambulance pulling up to the kingdom hall! Gotta go, Peace out, Mr. Flipper
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nvrgnbk
Guilt isn't good for anyone.
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WTWizard
Being a Witness is not a disorder. It is usually the end product of having fallen for a scam or having been born into one, and that is not a mental problem or a symptom of one.
However, it is a cause for many a mental disorder. Children who grow up in that organization are not normal because they are going to have to sit out every possible fun event in school, they are deprived of play time for service time, and they are not allowed to learn properly. They usually have to stay up late on certain school nights, usually the night before unit tests. They are given so much to be afraid of, including the demons, dying at Armageddon, and never being good enough. The guilt complex they impose is itself a major problem that stops many from finding fulfillment, often after they have left the Tower.
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rocky220
Maybe not a mental disorder, but a serious lack of self-esteem can fester into one.
rocky220
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greendawn
Given the JWs I had met while I was one I would say that most of them didn't appear to have any emotional issues and were rather quite stable and well adapted to life. At least that was the case in that part of the world. My opinion is that the WTS ideology appeals to people that have some element in common but that is not mental instability.
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coaster
Why is this even a question? Now that I just swallowed my Risperdal, I get to enjoy my upped dose of good ol LITHIUM, and of course can still make room for my 120 dose of Cymbalta. Since Prosaic, did not work, nor Welburtrin, nor Alcohol, nor countless other meds. It is not a disorder, because Jehovah is a god of order, not disorder, don't we all know that? So it is more a damn DISEASE. What is our suicide rate, and thank God for Alchol.
coaster
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Terry
When a burglar wants to break in to a jewelry store he has to disarm the alarm system. He cuts the wires. Then, he can break in and take whatever he wants and carry it off for his own use.
Each of us has a burglar alarm that protects us from having our valuables carried off by a thief.
Our alarm is our RATIONAL mind.
Anybody who wants to take away our valuables has to first disarm our rational mind but getting us to cut the wire.
How is this done?
1.Convince us that we can't trust our own mind or thinking process because we are weak, sinful, imperfect and a part of a lost social order.
2.Convince us to stop thinking for ourselves and let somebody ELSE think for us.
3.Convince us that we should only be skeptical and defensive when anybody else contradicts THEM (our persuasive burglar).
4.Convince us to stop looking at any other source of information and to regard all other sources of information as completely wrong.
5.Convince us to be afraid and seek refuge in the hands of the burglar himself
SUDDENLY OUR ALARM CANNOT RING because we are completely DISARMED.
We turn over our valuables:
Our time. Our will. Our efforts. Our hopes. Our ambitions. Our worldly goods. Our parenting. Our job. EVERYTHING gets carried off by the burglar for his own use.
You ask if being a Jehovah's Witness is a mental disorder.
The answer is "no".
It is the result of giving up your mind, your rational thinking and your confidence in your own intelligence. It is the result of becoming dependant and lazy and slavish in simply doing what you are told.
Being a Jehovah's Witness is a mental abandonment of individuality and identity.
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DJK
Being a Jehovah's Witness is a mental abandonment of individuality and identity.
LOL, that would look good on a T-shirt. It makes sense too.
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Amber Rose
Thanks for your replies. I don't think I used really the right words, though. The JWs that I know may seem normal but then they all have the same charactaristic vague "weirdness" (for lack of a better word). Terry's response was the best descripton of that weirdness that I've ever heard. Thanks.