Sounds like that whacked out JW doctor down in Houston: Dr. Riggle. He diagnosed everyone as paranoid schizophrenic, put them on Mellaril, read them Bible scriptures and had them buy fifty different jars of Bronson vitamins (cheap grocery store variety) at jacked up prices!
Actually, I don't think Dr. P was that whacked. He was never a JW and he never prescribed pills, though I think he worked closely with psychiatrists who did. Anyway, he was just a psychologist who served more as a counselor, for good or bad, as you have heard already!
How sad they put you in the care of a JW whacko! I think it's kinda funny that everyone was diagnosed as schizophrenic, though! LOL! I have been in some congregations where I would not be surprised!
Seriously, I am glad you got out of that mess! A JW doctor practicing psychiatry is like ... well I don't what its like.... but its not right! LOL! Like a butcher performing heart surgery, maybe?
Actually, this part is REALLY HAZY to me. I was raised a JW, never baptized. I married a gang member from the Texas Outlaws gang. My mother and father had to take me from his house because he was abusive, and wouldn't take care of me and his son. We went to live with them. I loved him alot, really alot. I had become anorexic, and was dying. After he moved out, I had another girl move in, and she called my parents when she saw that I was looking like a skeleton and wouldn't eat. I have to say that it wasn't all *his* fault since my own Father said I looked "Fat" after having only had a baby two days earlier. Later, to this day, my own disfellowshipped little brother has eating disorders, and they have to force him to eat by going to the mental hospital.
When I got too skinny, my brain life began to erode. I couldn't think, couldn't concentrate, always forgot and got lost. There was not choice but to move home. Meanwhile, my ex was mounting a MEAN custody trial against me. I had no defence because I was basically incapacitated. My Mother really tried to help me, I give her that. Her solution was to bring me to Dr. Riggle, in Houston, who had helped her friends in the Kingdom Hall. She really was trying to help me.. I love her for that. I went in this wierd strip mall center, with the windows all blacked out, and sat in a room with other females. No males.
I got called in to see the infamous Dr. Riggle. I had heard tales of him in Kansas that if someone was facing a court order for a blood transfusion, he would kidnap them from the hospital and bring them to Houston. I had heard those for years. I saw him and he was this old bald headed STUPD ARROGANT man. He told me I had "paranoid schizophrenia" and he told me that I would have to OBEY my mother and father, and live with them, since I was entally incapacitated, until the New Order, wherein I would be healed. Egads! He gave me a prescription for Mellaril (this shit drug that ALL the schizophrenics take), a prescription for about five bottles of vitamins, and sent me on my way. I took the medicine when I got back to Mom's house and it was like I was in LALAland. Total admission to LALAland: $172.00.
Now mind you, I'm just a little bit country, but I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday. I started seeing a purple wizard burning books in a city, and eyeballs just whizzing around the room. I told my Mother and she called him and he told her to stop giving it to me. Thank heavens! Come to find out: if you give a person that is NORMAL drugs to STOP schizophrenia, it will GIVE them schizophrenia!
Mother had a brother come to my apartment and say prayers in every room of the apartment. Kind of like an exorcism. They took all my tarot cards, golden jewelry featuring unicorns, prince collector albums, and all that stuff and threw it in the dump. I went along with this because I was just so sick that I didn't know what was going on.
It took me a year to get better. During that itme, I lived with my parents, they took care of me, and loved me, but she took me to the Kingdom Hall. All I did was stand outside and cry and smoke cigarettes. I couldn't even be in that place five minutes and I would start crying.
It never occurred to me that it was the JW stuff that was causing me all these problems.. I thought it was just me. I had to go through a very vicious court custody case, and because I was so sick I lost my darling son for several months. I broke my pelvis in an accident, was mentally ill, and that is when he took him away from me. My son was two years old. My ex husband was on the road driving a truck and he left him with his girlfriend, which his sisters assured me was abusing him. I couldn't do much. My pelvis was broken, I was in a walker, and all I could do was dream every night of him and seeing him again, and holding him, and loving him.
After I got out of the hospital, I was still paralyzed on my left leg and was in a walker. Luckily, my friend was laid off from work and she helped me alot to regain my movement. I went down to the pool every day and exercised so I could get my son back. That's all I thought about night and day.. the day I would get my son back. He was allowed to visit me, but it was so difficult. She would drive me up to San Antonio from Austin (the judge did NOT restrict me seeing him, just that I had to go and get him). We would arrive at their apartment, which was on the second floor. I was in a walker or crutches. They would NOT bring the baby down to me. They made ME walk up one flight of twenty steps, in my walker, take the child, and hand him over to my friend, who would accompany back down the stairs with the child. It was humiliating and degrading, but it only made ME stronger. I had to go through this humiliation for a whole four moths.. over the summer. But I kept exercising my body in the pool.. and thinking positive.
In late August, my body was toned, strong, and I was already walking, albeit with a limp when I decided to just throw myself in. I called EVERY law firm in the city, starting at the A's, and asked for a job. By the time I got to the M's, I had an interview. I went there and got the job, with good money. I went from there and got me a good house in the fine part of the city, and after that I went and bought a new car. All in one day. Then I went and gave my lawyer a good report and we went to trial.
On the day that we had to go to trial, my EX didn't show up. I won the court case and was granted my child. I went back to the office and and they said "What the hell are ya waitin for? GO and get your baby." That was the most magnificent day of my life. I went over to San Antonio and he was delivered into my arms and I could carry him.. and kiss him.. and hug him.. and say "He's mine!"
I fought long and hard for him. I went through this three times more. Granted: he didn't turn out so great.. but at least I know that I did all I could for the one I loved the most, and will continue to do so.
DESPITE a JW man telling me I was paranoid schizophrenic, I proved him wrong. I became a professional writer, and his predictions were nothing more than fog.
True love can make miracles happen.
CG