# DEPRESSION

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Posted by Amazing [Anointed] on November 08, 1999 at 16:10:28 {Nq8EnQ8RVA0hi4VK0MIQASIIcexUto}:

Based on my earlier posting of my experience as an elder to answer LA question about why people leave the organization, I decided to give another experience.

My wife, who was very active, supportive, Regular and Auxilary Pioneered, developed serious clinical depression. This type of depression is different than the 'Blues' we all can get from time to time. Clinical depression is a defective condition in brain chemistry requiring medical treatment.

When she was first diagnosed with this, many sisters and brothers were most supportive. This was also reinforced by the Society's enlightened articles on depression appearing in the mid to late 1980s.

However, after a few months of hospitalizations, the mood changed. Some elders were counseling me that she must get back to meetings and field service to regain her joy. No amount of explanation seem to help them understand her illness. Eventually, they suggested that she must have a demon problem, and encouraged me to go through our belongings and rid opurselves of 'questionable' material possessions which demons may have inhabited.

I felt this was silly, but decided that to appease them I would do just that. A close fellow elder came over, and we tossed mostly items that once belonged to my father, such as a desk, television/stereo console, any many other items. I did not want these possessions anyway, so my cooperation was mostly to end the matter.

Eventually, I too was exhausted with the stress of serving as an elder, caring for my wife, and maintaining my employment. So, I accepted an offer from my employer to move to Oregon.

Upon settling into my new congregation, the depression issue continued. Because the Society had opened up the issue, many sisters and not too few brothers started getting professional help for depression, many of these were treated with various medication such as Prozac, my wife included. One elder resented the drug from some unknown reason, and called prozac a Demon drug.

During a Circuit Overseer's visit he gave a talk about how many sisters were all now claiming to be depressed. He said they were taking advantage of the Society's loving provisions in order to escape their duty to work in field service and attend meetings regularly. He made the comment, 'From now on, no more mister nice guy' with regard to the issue of depression.

We moved once again further north in Oregon. I was again serving in the congregation. An issue arose where the elders convened a judicial hearing involving a brother. When he mentioned in his defence about my wife suffering from depression, the elders told him that they did not know for a fact that she was depressed, but only had my word for it.

These men forgot that they had spent time trying to directly console her. Although their consolation was nothing more than ebcouragement to attend meetings and try to get out in service. They also forgot the over 400 days my wife spent in the hospital, including almost 100 days in lock-down units. They forget that one of them even took 30 minutes to visit her there. the only visit she ever received from an elder besides me.

Upon leaving the Big-O (Big Organization for those in Rio Linda), her depression lifted immenesly. She still requires medication and therapy. However, after leaving the Big-O, she did not have another hospital stay for 6 years. She went in briefly in January this year for a few days. But that has been it.

Let me ask you this. Where do any of you say that the Demon problem was?

Simply Amazing

Follow Ups:

- *DEPRESSION Velta 01:47:54 11/10/99 (0)
- *DEPRESSION WiiliamPenwell 10:46:58 11/09/99 (0)
- *DEPRESSION Bibleman 23:02:35 11/08/99 (0)
- *DEPRESSION Unbelievable!! 21:27:06 11/08/99 (0)
- *DEPRESSION Madonna 16:37:02 11/08/99 (0)

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