My best friend joined the Mormon church. We have been best friends since high school.(we are now 50) I have seen a huge change in her during the period of time she has been with the church. She started depression meds (many) and after about three years of being on them she is now in a Mental health unit at the hospital. I have tried to talk to her about the church and she becomes VERY defensive. Is depression common in the church and if so WHY?

Utah has the highest usage of anti-depressants in the nation. Why? Simply put, the mormon doctrine of perfection coupled with cognitive dissonance of their lives not matching up or measuring up to the mormon ideal, not to mention all the crazy beliefs.

A number of exmormons who were depressed and medicated as mormons now find no need for anti-depressants once we left mormonism behind us.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2011 11:09AM by wine country girl.

Interesting thought. When my wife found out I had resigned, she asked me if I would be going off my antidepressents.

I think she was serious, but in her defense I have been talking with my doctor about slowly going off of them. Since my hospitalization a couple decades ago, I had gone for years without medication. I think I will wait for summer though cause winter time in SE Idaho can be depressing enough.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2011 04:17PM by nomomoses.

If everybody lived where their body temperature was comfortable to them, there'd be a lot fewer depressed people in the world.

Some people are addicted to it. It ruins your life and is bad for you.

Dr. Drew should do a show called Mormon Rehab.

Mormons get depressed because they often try their hardest to follow church leaders yet life does not work out for them.

Who wouldn't get discouraged ?

The Mormon "church" promises and implies that members will be happy and successful if they obey church leaders.

The reality is that Mormons have as many or more problems than anyone else.

Instead of realizing that there are no special powers in being Mormon, people tend to blame themselves when life does not deliver what the morg promised.
It's a vicious mindfuck.

"Mormon Women, Prozac, and Therapy" by Dr. Kent Ponder
http://packham.n4m.org/prozac.htm

Depression seems rampant in the mormon church, especially among the women. Of course, I don't know numbers, but is true that Utah has the highest antidepressant use. It is also true, the last time I read the numbers anyway, that Utah has the highest rate of perscription drug abuse. So yes, you can infer that mormonism and depression are linked.

About a month ago, one of my BYU roommates explained on facebook that she had been hospitalized for depression. She's a great person and I worry about her, but I also wanted to ask her, if she thought her depression might have been caused by the fact that she married a man she knew for only two months, dropped out of college to have a baby, had five children, with the man she knew for two months, in the space of 7 years, while she was also primary president?

Unfortunantly, I have heard many stories like this recently from mormon women I know. Way too many. It makes me so very angry at the church, they are ruining these women, and their husbands are accomplices for going along with the teachings while see their wives become shells of themselves.

I can only speak for myself, but I have been happier since I left the church than I ever was in it.

And just when is this friend of yours and her hubby supposed to fall in love. It doesn't sound like there has been time for that.

When church leaders talk about mental health issues this way, no wonder women are so depressed:

"I do not wish to minimize the reality of clinical depression. For some, solutions to depression and anxieties will be found through consultation with competent professionals. But for most of us, sadness and fear begin to melt away and are replaced by happiness and peace when we put our trust in the Author of the plan of happiness and when we develop faith in the Prince of Peace."

Wilford Anderson, April 2010 GC

Where's a sledgehammer when you need one?

I can recall specific times, though it was probably said much more frequently, it was preached in relief society that depression was a sin. We should ask god to take away our depression and he will. I'm sure that was a great comfort to all the desperate women. I feel that what the church does to women is criminal. There's no way in hell if I ever have a daughter that she will be raised in this cult.

Here is a slightly modified Boyd KKK Packer version:


"The priesthood holds consummate power. It can protect you from the plague of DEPRESSION—and it is a plague—if you are succumbing to its influence. If one is obedient, the priesthood can show how to break a habit and even erase an addiction. Holders of the priesthood have that authority and should employ it to combat evil influences."

"We raise an alarm and warn members of the Church to wake up and understand what is going on. Parents, be alert, ever watchful that this wickedness might threaten your family circle.

We teach a standard of moral conduct that will protect us from Satan’s many substitutes or counterfeits for HAPPINESS. We must understand that any persuasion to enter into any PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel must be wrong. From the Book of Mormon we learn that “wickedness never was happiness.”

"Some suppose that they were pre- set and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward SADNESS and DEPRESSION. Not so. Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Remember, he is our Father.”

Paul promised that “God … will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” You can, if you will, break the habits and conquer an addiction and come away from that which is not worthy of any member of the Church. As Alma cautioned, we must “watch and pray continually.”

Unbelievable. Depression is a habit? Stupid ass jerk.

We don't need to be spreading non-faith promoting rumors. The above 'slightly modified' quote from Boyd KKK is taken from his talk on homo-sexuality. Funny though!

I was severely depressed for most of my adult life as a morgbot. about 5 years ago, just before I left the morg, I was taking 4 different antidepressants at the same time and I was still depressed as hell and sometimes suicidal.

I have known for most of my life that the church was a fraud but because of family and social pressures I continued to try to believe. In order for me to do that I had to be on antidepressants and it still didn't work. Finally I let logic take over and I accepted what I had always known about the church and I accepted that all the truths I had discovered over the years that were touted as anti-mormon lies by the church were in fact truths.

I left for good and like someone flipped a switch, once I accepted that all the dogma I had believed, or tried to believe, about the church was just a load of crap I no longer needed the antidepressants. I have been off of them now for almost 3 years and I feel fantastic!!!

Yes, without a doubt, the morg is the cause of the majority of the antidepressant usage here in Utah and anywhere else that morgbots need cognitive dissonance to justify their beliefs in a church that is evil and demands total obedience to their leaders and teachings that have physical evidence proving them false.

I have never been happier than I have since leaving the cult. I let go of so many fairy tales that had me gripped in guilt. Sex, M,thinking my thoughts would be shouted from the rooftops, lack of scripture study, prayer, FHE, VT, testimony bearing,journal writing, genealogy doing, temple attending etc. etc. etc. making me feel "less valiant" freed me from the trap of mormonism.

Can you imagine what these poor souls still intrenched in all that do to soothe the pain? Is it any wonder so many are depressed?

I'm happier than I was even before getting sucked into the cult, and after I left the cult and my TBM ex-husband, I was able to go off the antidepressant. That was almost 9 years ago, and I'm still free of antidepressants because I don't need them.

Is depression common in the
> church and if so WHY?
Hahahahaha. Yes!!!

They don't drink! A study in Norway showed that non-drinkers were more depressed than even heavy drinkers. Moderate drinkers being the most...well...happy.
Cheers. Salut.

Studies also show moderate drinkers are the healthiest and live the longest. Take that word of wisdom.

If you are a non-LDS or "less-active" LDS, your suicide risk is greater than average and greater than the risk for non-LDS males in the surrounding states. My take is Mormonism in Utah benefits those who are active and detrimental to the rest of the population, especially less-active Mormon male youth.

The explanation you hear out of Utah for its suicide rate is that the entire region has an elevated rate. True. However, Utah has an even higher rate than the surrounding states. That isn't mentioned. I pulled the suicide rates from a BYU-sponsored study that is cited by BYU to show activity in the Mormon Church reduces suicide risk. What BYU doesn't bother to mention is that the same study shows non-LDS and less-active LDS in Utah are at increased risk.


Suicide Rates of the Mountain West Compared to Utah from 1991-1995

Males 15-19
Suicides per 100, 000 Males Ages 15-19 Mountain States (excluding Utah) 1991-1995
*Figures obtained through CDC WISQARS
Arizona 28.22
Colorado 27.00
Idaho 26.03
Montana 40.29
Nevada 26.64
New Mexico 35.12
Wyoming 48.35
Total 231.65
Average 33.09

Suicides per 100, 000 Males Ages 15-19 Utah 1991-1995
*Figures obtained from “Suicide Rates and Religious Commitment in Young Adult Males in Utah” Table 2, American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 155, No. 5 : 413-419
Utah LDS Active 17.40
Utah LDS less active 57.11
Utah Nonmember 59.69

----------------------------------------------------------

Males 20-24
Suicides per 100, 000 Males Ages 20-24 Mountain States (excluding Utah) 1991-1995
*Figures obtained through CDC WISQARS
Arizona 41.55
Colorado 34.02
Idaho 45.63
Montana 48.61
Nevada 51.76
New Mexico 47.00
Wyoming 64.03
Total 332.6
Average 47.51

Suicides per 100, 000 Males Ages 20-24 Utah 1991-1995
*Figures obtained from “Suicide Rates and Religious Commitment in Young Adult Males in Utah” Table 2, American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 155, No. 5 : 413-419
Utah LDS Active 11.19
Utah LDS less active 58.16
Utah Nonmember 70.12

---------------------------------------------------------

Males 25-29
Suicides per 100, 000 Males Ages 25-29 Mountain States (excluding Utah) 1991-1995
*Figures obtained through CDC WISQARS
Arizona 37.21
Colorado 33.56
Idaho 40.62
Montana 40.71
Nevada 40.18
New Mexico 46.25
Wyoming 38.70
Total 277.23
Average 39.60

Suicides per 100, 000 Males Ages 25-29 Utah 1991-1995
Figures obtained from “Suicide Rates and Religious Commitment in Young Adult Males in Utah” Table 2, American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 155, No. 5 : 413-419
Utah LDS Active 8.58
Utah LDS less active 65.55
Utah Nonmember 39.14

----------------------------------------------------------

Males 30-34
Suicides per 100, 000 Males Ages 30-34 Mountain States (excluding Utah) 1991-1995
*Figures obtained through CDC WISQARS
Arizona 36.34
Colorado 30.05
Idaho 34.28
Montana 39.31
Nevada 41.83
New Mexico 37.81
Wyoming 49.87
Total 269.49
Average 38.50

Suicides per 100, 000 Males Ages 30-34 Utah 1991-1995
Figures obtained from “Suicide Rates and Religious Commitment in Young Adult Males in Utah” Table 2, American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 155, No. 5 : 413-419
Utah LDS Active 10.85
Utah LDS less active 60.56
Utah Nonmember 42.63



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2011 11:49AM by robertb.

Back in 1997 I was 6mo pregant with our third child and my husband at the time (ex husband now) had started using meth and was having an affair with a young underage girl.
I had already been suffering with depression for a few years and was on medication for it.
I went in to talk with the bishop, wasnt alot of discussion about the actions of my husband (priesthood holder) but there was alot of discussion about me and my depression and how if i had enough faith i would not need them.

It encouraged a kind of self-scrutiny and self-criticism that was very bad for me and I carried a sense of burden about it.

Oh, and brokenwings' bishop was an utter idiot asshat.

Deseret News--depression is high in Utah, but it can't be caused by the LDS church:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/640196840/Why-high-antidepressant-use-in-Utah.html

SALT LAKE CITY — More than 10 percent of all that Utah women spend at their local pharmacies goes toward purchasing antidepressants... (I bet that the LDS church cannot be the cause.)

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700066056/Antidepressants-flow-freely-in-Utah-as-1-in-5-women-partakes.html

Critics charge that the rate of antidepressant use is much higher among Mormons than the general population. They claim this is evidence that participation in the LDS Church is inordinately stressful due to pressure for Mormons to appear "perfect." (FAIR article, defending the church)
http://en.fairmormon.org/Utah/Statistical_claims/LDS_use_of_antidepressants

"Utah leads the nation in prescriptions for anti-depressants, according to a recent study. "The fact that we're twice the national average with something like anti-depressants begs some explanation," said Dr. Curt Canning, head of the Psychiatric Association of Utah.

"The survey, by a large prescription benefits provider, stunned Canning. He thinks one possible explanation is the state's dominant Mormon culture, which demands much of its people, especially women." (finally! Real news. Now we're talking.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/03/eveningnews/main510918.shtml


Utah's High Anti-Depressant Usage
Is the Problem the Mormon Church or Another Factor in the State?

http://www.suite101.com/content/utahs-high-antideprresant-usage-a49102

(And from Provo's fish wrapper, the Daily Herald)
" A new state report says nearly 13 percent of Utah's population is taking medicine for depression on the recommendation of doctors.

"The Deseret News is reporting that the Utah Department of Health says that in 2009, women were prescribed antidepressants more than twice as often as men."

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_2f1f5210-c585-11df-b7d0-001cc4c03286.html

I have biopola manic depression, was quiet mild until
the bishop terminated me, and my rightousness accounted
to nothing but filthy rags. I turned to legal drugs
and meds and normal now. Tho it cost me my mormon marrige
that bishop was an asshole and not a christians bootlace..

Levite....

The mormon church is DEPRESSION. I also ended up in a hospital due to the stress of the cult. Welcome to hell.

You know, I'm a nevermo, but thinking about this, when I first moved to Utah about 15 years ago, my life began a downward spiral. I always attributed it to other factors, such as the lack of employment opportunities, but now I'm having second thoughts.

I've always been able to cope with about anything (and believe me, I mean anything), but after moving here I've had less confidence in my abilities. I just spent 2 months over in Colorado (my home state) and I actually did feel better.

I'm beginning to think there's something to all this. Utah is a beautiful place, too bad it's not part of Colorado. Huge cultural differences between the two.