Hi, I was wondering if any of you have any statistics when it comes to the percentage of JWs or ex witnesses reporting to suffer from mental illnesses? I have tried to google this but not got very far.
Jehovahs Witnesses and mental illness
by missellie 17 Replies latest jw friends
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hamsterbait
Denial is right nath.
As the Witchtower said: "Jehovah's people should not suffer from depression as they have the happy Kingdumb Hope."
For years they poured scorn on psychiatric medicine, implying that it was almost demonic. It has been portrayed as dangerous, especially if the patient is found to have problems caused or at least aggravated by the religion.
Isn't it amazing that the demons are so terrified of little pills that they flee the body of the "possessed"?
It hink there was a thread on this afew years back, but nobody has ever put up staistics of how many per 1000 are mentally ill from the various denominations and religions.
To claim as has been done that more JWs are mantally ill than in other faiths cannot be proved. Go into a mental ward and you will find that most of the people there are NOT JW.
However I do wonder if many more JWs are suffering from depression brought on by disappointment in a failed religion.
HB
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doofdaddy
I have never known a group that has more hypochondria.
Constant searching for health professionals to cure what I now can see are the physical effects of anxiety and depression, or at least a dissatisfaction with their lives.
Especially the women.
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CandleSurgeon
Thanks for those articles Jamie, I just printed them out and they both look very interesting.
CS
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RR
Interestingly Jerry Bergman published a book with the same title
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/9993195286/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
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Farkel
:I was wondering if any of you have any statistics when it comes to the percentage of JWs or ex witnesses reporting to suffer from mental illnesses?
Considering the crap they believe? 100%.
Farkel
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Gregor
I have never known a group that has more hypochondria.
Constant searching for health professionals to cure what I now can see are the physical effects of anxiety and depression, or at least a dissatisfaction with their lives.
Especially the women.
Good observation, Doof. Show me a JW who doesn't swear by chiroprators, holistic medicine and other quack remedies. We once had a kidney stone preventive that went through half the congregation. It involved drinking a gallon of fresh sqeezed lemon juice/water everyday for three days. It would dissolve your teeth as well as any lurking stone.
Then there was the anointed (picture his eyes like little pinwheels) elders wife who got into reading irises and telling you what nutrient you needed to start taking. She also was absolutly terrified of anything bought from a garage sale, etc. Demons, you know.
So, I think you will hear a lot of anecdotal evidence, but seeing as how JW's discourage professional mental health counseling I don't think any meaningful statistics exist.
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White Dove
I have back issues and chiropractors saved me a lot of pain. I needed the adjustments. I like the idea of holistic meds in combination with regular M.D. treatment. Other than those two things, I have seen whole congregations get into the MLM schemes and metabolizer vitamins like crazy.
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dinah
If you're crazy when you met them at the door.................they pass it on to your kids.