I have my own ideas as to why I think that many mormons suffer from depression and I have posted them before but I would like to hear from anyone who would care to give there opinion as to why many mormons seem to suffer from depression. In our relief society they took a poll and 80% ish were on antidepressents at some time or another. To me this seems a bit high but maybe not I myself suffered greatly with depression as a TBM and would wonder what u guys think the greatest reason for this is.

There are many causes for depression, That's why there's no definitive
cure. I recommend reading a book called destroy depression it explains
how you can get the cause of your depression and helps you beat it
naturally and safely. you can find a great review for it here: http://25days.org/depression/best-ways-to-effectively-fight-depression/

has often been used as a way to define a major cause of depression and one that helped me a lot. Along with this is the knowledge that people with certain types of personality traits are prime candidates for depression. Perfectionist types are at the top of the list. These types expect a lot of the world around them but most significantly, they expect a LOT of themselves. Their "self-talk" is constantly critical and nothing less than perfection will do.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make the connection. The one and only time our nevermo TBM SIL visited ut TBM relatives, after being out in their meticulously manicured yard he remarked "even their garbage is wrapped perfectly". This is only the tip of the iceberg. No one in this life is perfect. NO ONE. Yet the TBMs in our family manage a very impressive facade in all respects. Keeping that front up is very very draining.

I've wondered about the correlation as well. I don't want to stereotype but from the Hispanics I know (relatives and friends) it seems they never ever have clinical depression. It must be a white persons disease. People from the south don't seem to suffer as much either. Most of the country isn't as anti liquor as Utah is either. Perhaps depression is dealt with better and medicated more effectively out in the mission field? A little beer is safer than prylosec, oxicotton, lexipro, or xanax.

I've been clinically depressed for 15 years. I officially resigned from the church in January and since that time have liked myself for the first time since childhood.

I actually am beginning to believe I am enough and loveable and worthy of happiness and good things AS I AM, RIGHT NOW, not someday in eternity when I have finally earned my way back to a Father who demands perfection.

The constant self doubt and criticism and worry and fear of failure are slowly disappearing. And the guilt! Gone! I was a Molly Mormon so I didn't even have much to feel guilty about but those sins of omission really got me down.

All the things I was not doing like genealogy or more temple sessions or scripture study EVERY NIGHT, or volunteering more in Relief Society or putting more effort into my calling...etc. there is no way one can possibly do all that is asked, no, required, of the church.

So, I never measured up, was never good enough. I'm so relieved to be rid of that, but I had to go through hell to get past the brainwashing that I can't be happy without Mormonism. But once I did, I was much better psychologically.

I'd posit that it's largely due to the conditioning that's so rampant in the Mormon religion, which sometimes deviates from what's natural. The first issue I took up against the church was its stance on masturbation; it felt totally natural and great to me, and yet I had been conditioned to see it as a great sin. Repressing/denying your sexuality from the start of puberty until marriage just can't be healthy...

Plus the fact that the morg, like most religions, practically revolves around perfectionism... Yeah, I'm not at all surprised that I developed severe clinical depression and anxiety from my years trapped in that environment.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2015 06:35AM by oneinbillions.

because it's all so deprivating and superficial. Yet, despite these apparent ingredients for unhappiness, TBMs are fed the narrative of the restored gospel and living profits and modern scripture and eternal families and true priesthood authority and etc. It's made to sound so sweet and enforced so strictly by a Big Brother kind of society that seeps all the way down to the family level (by design), that there is nowhere to go and nothing to do but gobble up this poisonous religion until you gain a taste for it.

TBMs can flab their jabbers until the end of time — there's no freedom of choice in this kind of culture. Depression, ahoy.

Depression is a silent killer, we need to spread awareness about depression so people can get the treatment they desperately need and will not have to suffer alone. I recommend anyone suffering with depression, read destroy depression its goes through how alternative treatments work. They helped me change my life and theres a review for it here: http://steamspoils.com/destroy-depression-review

The saddest thing was a testimony i heard from a sweet woman in our ward, after one of her children was born she suffered from depression quit a bit and instead of using the medications that were advised to her she thought that prayer and scripture study would handle it all. I hope it did she is still around I see her every now and then but still see a great saddness in her eyes frequently and she is such a lovely person. I hope she realizes someday that medication is not the debil.

Blair Watson wrote a wonderful paper about the psychological effects of Mormonism. Maybe you can find this on this website....

I won't go into detail, but on my husband's side of the family, his cousin, his niece, and his nephew all committed suicide. All of them left a suicide note, mentioning the Mormon church as a major source of their despair and hopelessness and feeling unloved. They were from fanatic Mormon families, who didn't believe in unconditional love. The families were punitive, critical, snobby, and perfectionistic. They put on a false front.

These were good kids, and had a lot going for them. You would never have guessed anything was wrong. One was at UCLA, another had just graduated from BYU with honors, and the other had dropped out of BYU to get married, have children, and run his father's business.

I was self-aware enough to know that the Mormon church was causing my depression. I still believed (and still believed I should be perfect and obedient), so I attended, and forced my children to go with me. I used to joke about my "Sunday depression." I worked hard at my career, which was difficult, sometimes--yet I looked forward to Mondays and going back to work. On Sundays, though, I could hardly get out of bed. I had to drink several cokes to wake me up. After church was over with, I would go straight home and get into bed, and pull the covers over my face. I allowed myself 20-30 minutes to "decompress", before fixing dinner for the kids, and getting on with the rest of the day. I would talk to myself: "One whole week before we have to go to church again!"

The Sunday depression was made worse by the cries and protestation of my children, who hated church. They would start balking on Saturday. Also, on Saturday, I had to prepare my lessons and rehears for musical numbers. Saturday quickly got eaten up by the cult, as well. We didn't have that free day anymore, to ski and mountain bike and do other things as a family. The kids had forced church activities (which they also hated) on the week nights, sometimes. My depression started to linger through the whole day on Sunday, and started to effect my work on Mondays, then on Tuesday. On Friday, the dread of Saturday and Sunday would begin. It took about two years for me to realize just how depressed I was.

The children and I left when we found out Mormonism is a hoax. The day I walked out of church for the last time, my depression lifted! I felt free, and happy, and whole--like myself again. My children were so happy, they cried for joy!

The worst problem in my family's life had been Mormonism, and now it is gone.

Even the best life can't be joyful 24/7, but that Sunday depression never came back.

In my wife's case, there is definitely a biological component. However it is exacerbated by Mormon culture.

She will go to church and come home depressed because she sees all these happy perfect women accomplishing it all. Sometimes they are nice to her but it often seems superficial.

In her home life growing up, and even now, there was a serious lack of meaningful communication. That's not exclusive to being raised LDS, but often feelings and questions were shut down by religious platitudes and guilt trips.

Her parents give her grief about taking medication and seeing psychiatrists because she is relying on "The World" instead of faith and priesthood blessings.

And perhaps most of all is our fundamental family itself. I've said before that I love all four of kids, but in retrospect given my wife's mental health difficulties, four kids are too much for her. After the first child was born she quit working and stayed home all day like a good Mormon housewife. After child #2 was born she had severe post-partum depression and a psychiatric break that required hosptilizaton. I was spooked enough to stop at 2.

But the dear in-laws didn't think that was enough multiplying and replenishing. My father-in-law gave her a blessing in which he had a "vision" of us having two more kids who were waiting for us in the pre-existence. Of course that kind of pressure is going to weigh pretty heavily on a true believing Mormon mom. I resisted for a long time, but after she seemed to be doing well decided we should try again. Child #3 was born after a seven year gap. Child #4 was born 18 months later, fulfilling my father-in-law's blessing.

Then a few months later, another psychiatric break and more hospitalizations. Again, I love them all, but some people like my just shouldn't feel like they have to have a house full of kids to be an adequate person. It's just too much for her and Church culture is a huge factor in the situation.

I see it as a chicken or the egg situation.

I believe that the Mormon culture can exacerbate depression in somebody who is already prone to depression or who is simply not a natural fit for the culture.

I also believe that investigators are most vulnerable to Mormonism's siren's call of community, acceptance, and stability when they are depressed.

My parents were good people who were baptized in TSCC when they were eight years old, but were inactive for most of their lives. My dad was the most kind, patient person I've ever known. My mom suffered from depression and in the D&C somewhere, it talks about those people who are doomed to outer darkness. My poor mom had cancer on top of it all, and she was so afraid that because she was inactive, she was headed to outer darkness. She was in tears because of that fear. My parents have long since passed on, and I believe my parents are very happy and together,in spite of that fearful crap that's taught. I also felt when I was active, I was never good enough, and a woman that I was partnered with to teach cub scouts didn't think so either, so one fine day, she got my work phone number, called me at work, and reamed me up and down that I was a slacker and was calling me to repentance and to step up! So glad to have woken up, but from time to time I think about these and other things that have happened and it gets me mad and disgusted all over again. My DH helps me to try to let it go.