by optimusprime 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
When I found out TTATT, and was undergoing emotional, congnitive dissonance from an unjust D'fing-----I had to be locked up in a Psychiatric ward. It was less than two weeks until the CD, dissapated from research on my part. They called it reactive psychosis. All proffesionals at the time and now have cleared me of mental health problems.
That is my experience. Well I hope thats more what your were looking for. I hope this helps.
Kate xx
Paul Grundy has done some research and written an excellent short article on the subject. It''s on his jwfacts.com website: JWs and Mental Illness.
Unfortunately, their has been a dearth of relevant studies.
Like Frankie said, bit of both. My own experience with my own chronic depression is that. Can't say being a jw caused it, but it sure exacerbated it. More later. Off to bed now. Got a good one about the COBE who's a good egg but suffering tremendously from mental disorders.
Anecdotal stories won't count for much. I thought of a possible study linking refusal of blood to use of prescription anti-depressants, comparing it to the general population, as this information is readily available from medical files.
Hubby's on anti-depressants, and I am not. There's an anecdotal story for you.
The interesting question is this: does being a JW:
A) cause mental illness, or does it
B) attract unbalanced individuals.
The answer is probably:
C) Both.
However, the prevalence of mental health issues among those "born-in" strongly suggests that there are things about the beliefs system itself that causes mental health problems. We must keep in mind the axiom that correlation does not prove causation.
Ok, that was me, the scientist, talking. Now it's just me, the regular Joe: There is no eff-ing way that believing lies and falsehoods can be good for your mental health!
Squashing doubts--and once you go beyond doubting to knowing that the WT is full of lies and falsehoods--and pretending to believe things that you do not believe merely to avoid being expelled from the group, these things are soul destroying. It crushes a person's true identity.
Humans are social animals. We need to belong. But when we succumb to social pressure to the point of sacrificing our individual identity on the altar of beliefs that we ourselves do not hold we suffer a form of psychic death. This is clearly a form of mental illness. I'd have to do some research, but off the top of my head I would say it's a form of dissociative identity disorder. As I recall, Steven Hassan has written extensively on this subject related to cults in general. It's the replacement of the individual's authentic identity with the cult identity.
Yes I agree Oubliette, sacrificing our individual identity is a form of mental illness. Just talking to my daughter about this today, that they use this phrase 'independent thinking' in a derogatory way. As opposed to what? A hive mind, like bees or ants? Creepy.
I am a worldly lol but dated a JW female for 4 years. I watched and talked with her about her mother which became ill. Multiple doctors appointments, Couldn't work and lost her job. Her mom around 50 and her In her 20's at the time was financially supporting the two of them. She couldn't afford to pay the mortgage so after a year lost the house and had to move in with a family from the hall they were attending (another story). I asked why doesn't she get some kind of disability since she is so sick
She stated that none of the doctors could find anything wrong with her.
Misery loves company
The jehovahs witness organization doesn't want their members to be happy.
They strip them of their self esteem in two ways
1. They (leadership)discourage fulfilling careers/hobbies that can give a person a sense of self worth
2. They (leadership) subtly tell the Jws that they are somehow just not quite good enough to be acceptable to Jehovah.
These conditions are very unbearable
Steven Hassan has written extensively on this subject related to cults in general. It's the replacement of the individual's authentic identity with the cult identity.-Oub
I agree I have heard something of these two personalities as well- Kate xx
It depends on what you define as mental illness. If you include depression, sure I was, and many people I knew. I do think the religion both attracts and creates mental illness. The black or white thinking they teach is attractive to those who think in that way. This old system is SO BAD, we humans are SO EVIL, we NEED "the TRUTH" to fix us because we are SO BAD.
I knew of one case, a brother was hearing voices, he was disfellowshipped, they assumed he was demonized, when it was obvious to me he was schizophrenic. And then there is the many known suicides.
