| Subject: Published studies showing jehovah's witnesses have high rate of mental illness |
Author:
Scooter
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Date Posted: 05:31:09 05/18/04 Tue
In reply to:
E
's message, "Re: Prozac" on 00:53:20 05/14/04 Fri
*ALL* PUBLISHED STUDIES SHOW JWs HAVE HIGH RATES OF MENTAL ILLNESS
The JW claim to be the "best-oriented, happiest and most contented group
of people on the face of the earth.. They have the least need for
psychiatrists." is significantly refuted by ALL the scientific evidence.
The real reason for the warnings about psychiatrists from the JW Society
is to hide the truth from JWs - ALL known studies on the mental health of
JWs are outlined here.. so I am not merely selecting the worst ones.
The most recent is termed 'Wifely Subjection: Mental Health Issues in
Jehovah's Witness Women', Psychological Manipulation and Society, Cultic
Studies Journal Vol. 14, No. 1, 1997 by Kaynor Weishaupt MS and Michael
Stensland; and concludes that the WTBTS Society exerts a great deal of
control over the everyday life of JWs, and female JWs suffer most from
psychological stresses in the high-control environment. Strong patriarchal
JW attitudes limit women and predominate in their relationships with men
(and having relationships with non-JW men are strongly condemned, and
sexual contact before marriage is totally prohibited). JW women (who left)
were found to have a significant degree of mental health problems, which
lessened when they left. Also, their relationships with men improved after
leaving and became more egalitarian.
Dr Kjell Totland's study 'The Mental Health of Jehovah's' Witnesses.'
appeared in the 1996 Journal of the Norwegian Psychological Association
and concluded that JWs suffered from an abnormally high number of mental
disorders.
Dr Elmer Koppl in 1985 in 'Die Zeugen Jehovas; Eine Psychologische
Analyses' also found that the incidence of mental health problems among
JWs were unusually high.
In the same year, Dr R.Potter (A Social Psychological Study of
Fundamentalist Christianity, Sussex University) concluded that there
exists "a strong positive correlation between Witness membership and
clinical schizophrenia."
And again in the same year, Dr U.Sack (Case Studies of Voluntary Defectors
from Intensive Religious Groups, University of California) reached the
same conclusions via a different (case-study based) route.
Havor Montague, a licensed therapist, in 'The Pessimistic Sect's Influence
on the Mental Health of Its Members: The Case of Jehovah's Witnesses,'
Social Compass, Vol 24, 1977 135-47, monitored admissions to mental
hospitals and clinics in Ohio during 1972-76, and from a JW mentally-ill
sample size of 102 estimated that "the mental illness rate of Jehovah's
Witnesses is approximately 10 to 16 times higher than the rate for the
general, non-Witness population.." While persons who had emotional
problems were attracted to the JWs, the JW involvement was a larger part
of the issue - evident as the majority who had mental problems and who
left, reported they were much happier after leaving.. Montague went on to
conclude "The staff of most large mental hospitals are usually quite
familiar with the JWs. One hospital, a doctor told this writer, is
'clogged with them'. Another mental hospital is even nick-named 'The
Watchtower House' because it has so many Witness patients."
In 1976 Dr Jerry Bergman published 'The Evaluation of an Experimental
Program Designed to Reduce Recidivism Among Second Felony Offenders.'
(Detroit, Mi; Wayne State University), wherein examination of Oakland
County court records from 1965-73 revealed that the mental illness rate,
suicide rate and crime (especially aggressive crimes against people) rate
for JWs are all significantly higher than average.
Dr J.Spencer studied 'The Mental Health of Jehovah's Witnesses' in the
British Journal of Psychiatry's Journal of Mental Science, Vol 126 1975
556-9, by examining records of all 7,546 admissions in 1971-3 to all West
Australian Psychiatric Hospitals. Using the patients' self-reported
religious affiliation, Spencer conservatively computed JWs had psychiatric
admission rates 165%, diagnosed neurosis 195%, schizophrenia 300% and
paranoid schizophrenia 370% of the respective averages for the non-JW
population! The author stated "The study .. suggests that either the
Jehovah's Witnesses sect tends to attract an excess of pre-psychotic
individuals who may then break down, or else being a Jehovah's Witness is
itself a stress which may precipitate a psychosis." But even these
extraordinarily high rates for JWs are very significantly under-reported
for the following reasons:
(a) JWs, may be unwilling to admit to being JWs due to the low
socio-economic ranking of JWs (30th out of 30 per a recent study by Kosmin
& Lachman 1993; this also makes it unlikely people would pretend to be
JWs).
(b) Also the Society strongly criticised psychiatry and equated going to a
psychiatrist to "going down to Egypt". In addition to the headline quote,
see {AWAK Aug 22 1975 25-6, AWAK Apr 22 1975, WT Jul 1 1975 415-6, WT 1975
255-6, WT 1963 319-20} for additional examples.
(c) JWs are usually careful about "bringing reproach on Jehovah's visible
organization" and would therefore hide the fact that they were JWs. See
Heather & Gary Botting: 'The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses'
(University of Toronto Press, 1984). Also, theocratic lying to protect the
Society is commendable to JWs, as is seen in other quotes.
(d) JWs aware of their poor mental state are typically ashamed as they are
taught that good JWs are happy ("Happy is everyone fearing Jehovah..
walking in His ways .. happy you will be and it will be well with you."
Psalm 128:1-2) and so cannot become mentally ill {WT Apr 1 1993 28-30, WT
1970 358, WT 1968 515-6, WT 1960 95} unless they have displeased God, and
will thus hide their problems from even a trusted therapist. Donald
Salzman: 'A Study of Isolation and Immunization of Individuals from the
Larger Society in Which They Live' (University of Chicago 1951)
(e) Many JWs avoid obtaining medical help, despite being psychotic, in a
catatonic state, severely depressed or brain damaged, because of their
inherent distrust of professionals, ingrained by the Society. See Barbara
Harrison: 'Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's
Witnesses' (Simon and Schuster, N.Y. 1978)
(f) The Society actively discourages JWs from social or spiritual contact
with non-JWs, so the JW's psychiatric condition is less likely to be
reported.
(g) Many JW-students or temporarily non-associating JWs including those
brought up as JWs would be unlikely to classify themselves as JWs when
asked - though in assessing the number of JWs in Western Australia such
people were included. Many persons raised around the influence of the
Witnesses (especially during their formative years) who leave as adults
often remain largely JW in belief (Penton 1985).
(h) There was no pressure on patients to disclose this information -
proportions are worked out on the basis that many stated no religious
affiliation.
(i) JWs do not view their faith, which they call "the truth" as being a
religious affiliation at all - and so would not need to answer the survey
with other than "none".
(j) JWs would be afraid that if any member of the staff of the
psychiatrist or interviewer was a JW, they would get reported to their
elders and disciplined/disfellowshipped (with consequent lifelong shunning
in the vast majority of cases).
(k) For the reasons set out at (d), a troubled JW is likely to go to his
elders, who are liable to recommend against seeing a mental health
professional (for obvious reasons, unrelated to what is best for that JW)
and in serious cases even to remove (or get him to remove himself by
making him feel unwelcome) the suffering one from the congregation lest he
bring shame to the JWs. This way he no longer gets counted as a "demonized
JW" but as a "non-JW, worldly lunatic".
For these ELEVEN reasons it is estimated that there is a 2-4 times
under-representation in the mental health figures, indicating that ~10% of
Jehovah's Witnesses are in urgent need of serious psychiatric help. Many
have grown able to conceal their mental illness from outsiders, convincing
householders how happy JWs are, while immediately after speaking for hours
to fellow JWs of severe depression and feelings of hopelessness, hatred
and suppressed anger towards JWs and outsiders etc.
Spencer's studies reinforced those of Dr J. von Janner in the Forensic
Psychiatric and military medical assessment of Conscientious Objectors,
published in the Schweizerische Medizinische Wochenschrift 1962 Vol 93, No
23 819-26. Janner examined 100 randomly selected Swiss citizens whose
objection to military service resulted in imprisonment. 85% were JWs, and
a significant proportion of these were introverted, with high levels of
fear anxiety, severe neuroticism and/or social isolation tendencies. 96%
of JWs were unskilled or semi-skilled workers. Over a twentienth of the
JWs had been previously convicted of a sexual offence (e.g. paedophilia,
exhibitionism) and another twentieth of non-sexual offences. Janner
concluded the JWs were "quite colorless .. somewhat removed from reality".
It was observed that the Society was detrimental to many regardless of
their problems at the time they were indoctrinated.
An even more telling earlier study on the mental health of JWs was by Dr
M.J.Pescor M.D. in 1949, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol 105 No 9, pp641-52, with a sample size of 177 JWs. He found that 44%
of Conscientious Objector JWs who were hospitalized were clinically
psychotic (if faking, they would surely fake less unpleasant things -
psychotic patients may need restraining, would get a permanent medical
record that was liable to restrict their future choices - as well as mean
they were likely to be released LATER than anyone else)! This represented
7.5% of ALL the 177 C.O. JWs in the study - a rate TWENTY to FORTY times
the average for the general population (0.2-0.4%)! The ratio is fair as
nearly all male JWs of draft age were included: though some JWs accepted
alternative service and probably exhibited a less psychotic profile, most
did not and were imprisoned - so the adjustment would be negligible. On
the other hand, the most psychotic of JWs would have been excluded from
Pescor's sample as they would have been judged medically unfit for service
(and thus not C.O.s at all) - so the real figures for JW psychotics could
be even worse than forty times more than in the general population.
Another 4% of the whole JW population studied (not just the hospitalized)
had other serious mental abnormalities and 24% were rated socially
maladjusted. Almost 50% of JWs were raised on farms and over 50% were
engaged in agricultural work, usually as laborers. Under half had some
high school education (but the median grade was only 9.2). Spanish was the
most popular class pursued while in prison.
The earliest study I found was by Swedish psychiatrist Dr Gosta Rylander,
in 'A Psychological and Sociological Study of Jehovah's Witnesses',
published in Nordisk Medicin 1946, Vol 29 p526-33. Over 93% of the
randomly-selected Conscientious Objectors he studied were JWs. Of the JWs,
41% were diagnosed as neurotic, over 33% as psychotic, over 25% as
mentally retarded, and 4% as brain-damaged. Again, these figures are
under-estimates because the more obviously "crazy" JWs would not have been
classified as Conscientious Objectors but just as lunatics (who are
automatically excluded from military service). Diagnosis was on the basis
of pathological behavior, including irrational paranoia and severe
long-term depression. Rylander observed some of the symptoms were evident
before conversion to JWs, but the Society's influence was often
detrimental to mental health, sometimes severely so. c4% of the eligible
armed service Swedish population were judged, on a borad index,
psychologically unfit for service - the corresponding figure for JWs was
21% - five times higher! Most of the JWs were actively involved in the
Watchtower (which is why they had to reject military service). Rylander
concluded that many lacked education, job skills, emotional stability and
quality social relations. Unsatisfactory employment records existed
because of psychological deficiencies, lack of ability and immaturity.
Rylander found that JWs committed "a relatively large number of small
crimes and other misdemeanors which generally resulted only in a fine.. 3%
of the JWs had been imprisoned for stealing or harboring of stolen
property, and 29% have been fined for various offenses (traffic
violations, drunkenness, unlawful selling of alcohol, poaching, unlawful
entering, etc.)". The neurotic symptoms widespread in the JW sample
included "feelings of discomfort, general anxiety, poor sleep habits,
times of brooding over what they see as the meaninglessness of life, the
wrongs they have suffered and the mistakes they have made." He concluded
that individual Witnesses tended to be burdened with a variety of serious
concerns and often joined the sect in an effort to solve their many
problems.
Unsurprising then is this internal report from the Jehovah's Witnesses'
OWN psychologist Dr Onoda to the sect's Governing Body (as quoted in
M.J.Penton's: 'Apocalypse Delayed' (1985) by: "I would like to consider
another reason why Jehovah's people have mental problems, but I want to be
cautious that some do not misunderstand the following statements..
Jehovah's true organization .. can contribute to or accelerate an existing
problem rather than making it better. What Biblical teaching contributes
to making a problem worse? It is guilt. Jehovah's people are confronted
with a higher standard and thus have greater psychological pressure. The
'world' says, if it makes you feel guilty get rid of it. But we have to
maintain the high level of Christian conduct in our families, daily lives
and personalities. We cannot think a wrong thought without feeling guilty.
If the Witness becomes unbalanced, he/she may become overly despondent and
feel like a failure because perfection cannot be attained in mind, body
and thought. In essence, some of the 'Friends' try so hard to please
Jehovah that they become mentally ill."
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