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fundies & depression


FundieWatcher

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Facebook friends keep sharing articles about a blood test for depression that may soon be available.

With so many fundies denying mental illnesses even exist, could you foresee this changing anyone's mind?

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Nah... Especially since I know way too many people in the real world, totally outside fundieworld that think depression is "nonexistent", roots in mere boredom, it's spoiled people's "disease", "if you had your hands full you sure wouldn't have any time to whine about anything", it never existed in the... (50s, 30s, at the turn of the past century), yeah, people just killed themselves since the illness had had no name, and it hasn't been treated until...? Heaven knows, not even nowadays do people speak about it openly and feeling no shame.

What can we expect from fundies then, who think not appreciating your umpteen children in a tiny house is disgraceful, and showing gloom displeases their god? And, as much they resent science in general... what did the talking snake say about depression again?!

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Nah... Especially since I know way too many people in the real world, totally outside fundieworld that think depression is "nonexistent", roots in mere boredom, it's spoiled people's "disease", "if you had your hands full you sure wouldn't have any time to whine about anything", it never existed in the... (50s, 30s, at the turn of the past century), yeah, people just killed themselves since the illness had had no name, and it hasn't been treated until...? Heaven knows, not even nowadays do people speak about it openly and feeling no shame.

What can we expect from fundies then, who think not appreciating your umpteen children in a tiny house is disgraceful, and showing gloom displeases their god? And, as much they resent science in general... what did the talking snake say about depression again?!

I never understood this line of thinking. Insane asylums were bursting at the seams during these eras, people definitely suffered from Major Depressive Disorder during them. Heck, Abraham Lincoln had it, along with a great many others.

I predict they'll just start saying that the demon that inhabits them causes the changes in the chemicals.

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The movie comes to mind, "Hours"... playing in different eras, people dealing with different kind of crap... depression isn't a picky disease... it will come for you whether you're Abe Lincoln or John Smith IV, a carpenter... and, it's 2014 and people can't admit they're suffering depression without being stigmatized, looked down upon, lectured about how ungrateful/bored/self-inflicting they are. It's a problem that doesn't only exist in fundieland.

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Scientologists say depression doesn't exist since it's not tangible. I'm more interested in how a definitive blood test could affect a religion whose big claim for needing to exist is to debunk psychology.

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I want to know how fundies can deny depression exists when mom is too mentally exhausted to get out of bed and teach 15 kids, prepare them meals, and keep the house clean. Seems to me that depression would have such a dramatic effect on a family so large, that it would be literally impossible to ignore. Or maybe with older daughters to do all the work, it isn't really noticeable after all?

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They may rationalize it into two groups: the people with a physical disorder that shows up in blood tests, sort of like thyroid problems, (and allow some sparse medication for those people) and the people who are just being weak and letting the debil sway their thinking.

Still victim blaming.

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Some if them will acknowledge something that's that obvious. But it doesn't mean they'll show the sufferer much sympathy or grace. The 'answer' is still likely to be lots of prayer and self chastisement for being so selfish.

And for every fundie who is that severely depressed, I'm certainly there are dozens more who spend years in a grey fog, feeling like their bones are made of lead and like every step takes a monumental effort.

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No, I don’t think this will change many fundie’s beliefs about mental illness unless they already give credence to modern medicine.

A friend of mine whose parents are fundie lite refuse to acknowledge her (serious) mental illness, the same mental illness her father’s brother has that landed him in a long term mental institution (placed there by her father). Her father tells her that if she would just “give her problems to Godâ€, she’d be ok. If there was a blood test for any mental disorder, they would still stick to their “you should give your problems to God†or you are ill because you aren’t a good enough person etc. Of course, these people don’t believe in MDs or modern science (It’s always changing, unlike the bible! :roll: How can you trust science and doctors?! :pink-shock: ). They only see chiropractors (and a :cray-cray: one at that).

So, people like my friend’s parents will not accept that mental illness exists even if a blood test can prove it because illness is caused by not trusting God. :pull-hair:

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Scientologists say depression doesn't exist since it's not tangible. I'm more interested in how a definitive blood test could affect a religion whose big claim for needing to exist is to debunk psychology.

"Zenu inplanted Depressed Thetans into people... Um I mean, what Zenu?!!"

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No, I don’t think this will change many fundie’s beliefs about mental illness unless they already give credence to modern medicine.

A friend of mine whose parents are fundie lite refuse to acknowledge her (serious) mental illness, the same mental illness her father’s brother has that landed him in a long term mental institution (placed there by her father). Her father tells her that if she would just “give her problems to Godâ€, she’d be ok. If there was a blood test for any mental disorder, they would still stick to their “you should give your problems to God†or you are ill because you aren’t a good enough person etc. Of course, these people don’t believe in MDs or modern science (It’s always changing, unlike the bible! :roll: How can you trust science and doctors?! :pink-shock: ). They only see chiropractors (and a :cray-cray: one at that).

So, people like my friend’s parents will not accept that mental illness exists even if a blood test can prove it because illness is caused by not trusting God. :pull-hair:

ugh yes. Weird science is okay, documented and proven science is "ungodly".
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Facebook friends keep sharing articles about a blood test for depression that may soon be available.

With so many fundies denying mental illnesses even exist, could you foresee this changing anyone's mind?

Nope. Psychology is a bad, bad word amongst fundies. Downright anti-Christian.

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Well, maybe some fundies might, especially if they have experienced depression in their own family.

But let's face it, most fundies don't trust science anyways if it contradicts to their beliefs. Many refuse to believe that the earth is more than a thousand years old and claim that men have lived together with dinosaurs.

And I have to say I would be very interested in knowing the percentage of fundies who are depressed themselves.

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