Treating your mental illness is a form of sorcery

[formergothardite]

Okay, I do realize that this is a very old post on this guy's page, but damn, seriously, sorcery? According to him all problems from dementia to Bi-polar disorder are problems with the soul and treating them with medicine is:

The psychiatrist authority to prescribe drugs adds to the misnomer that there is an illness, when in fact what they are doing is not correcting an organic, biological problem they are using drugs to manipulate the personality. This is the practice of sorcery.

Are you depressed? Well suck it up and pray more:

Depression is not a “mental illness.†Depression may in part be due to medical reasons. Depression is always linked to spiritual reasons. We need to quit placing the emphasis on mental well-being and start talking about spiritual well-being. The humanistic culture has taken problems of living from the spiritual realm and placed them in the psychological realm. The resulting conclusion is that man has the answer apart from God.

Depression is remedied (having ruled out any biological/organic issues) by changing one’s focus

fullypersuadedbaptist.blogspot.com/2006/07/mental-illness-and-personal.html

Also, he thinks Andrea Yates should have gotten the death penalty, the only blame on her husband is for divorcing her, and her pastor is just an innocent bystander.

[deelaem]

Well, I sure wish I was a sorcerer so I could turn this dude into a particularly ugly spider, then step on him while wearing cleats. What a dickblister.

[freejoytoo]

What the everliving fuck.

[E Street Fan]

Depression is always linked to spiritual reasons.

That's funny, trying to convince myself that I believed in god (and wasn't a big dirty atheist) was a big part of my depression.

It annoys me to no end when people refuse to lay any blame on Rusty Yates for what happened to his family. I think he is even more responsible than Andrea Yates.

[formergothardite]

People like this guy drive me nuts. Just because we don't have the technology right at this moment to be able to see what exactly causes the various mental illnesses doesn't mean they don't exist. I wonder how he would react if his wife developed dementia? See how far prayer gets him then.

[kb2]

This is really awful, dangerous bull. He apparently doesn't believe that any mental illness is any more than a "behavior problem," and that they're all excuses. What an asshole! I hope he doesn't have any mentally ill people in his life.

[notacleverpony]

Behaviour [sic] problems are more often than not a problem of the heart. [snip] They are identifying more all the time. The sad reality is every one of us could have a label of some kind. We like these labels because they do not serve to hold us responsible. What is wrong with how the Bible labels us, sinners? That will never do, if it is sin then we are responsible. It must be an illness, something beyond our ability (and God’s I might add) to do anything about.

And THIS sort of mentality is the reason my ADHD went undiagnosed until I was 24. I was getting mild heart palpitations from all of the caffeine I was drinking to self-medicate my way through college, and it had worsened to the point that I couldn't even read for pleasure anymore because I kept having to physically get up from my seat and move.

At least he's not as bad as my mom. He thinks that mental illness is just "a problem of the heart," after all, and not the result of DEMONIC POSSESSION.

[mirthfairy]

I love that they feel one can just get over mental illness.

I'm an outgoing, perky, person. I also have anxiety. It's not because I've got anything to be anxious about, it's just that my brain is busted. A thing that might just bother someone a little bit will trigger the OMG BEING CHASED BY BEARS reflex in me. Drugs are good!

I feel so sorry for the people who might have a completely treatable condition, but refuse to get it fixed.

[No Fun My Babe]

Hmmmm, I knew there was a reason I kept that cauldron in my dungeon.

Seriously though, there is still so much stigma attached to mental illness. While this example is extreme, there are plenty of people who think you simply can just "get over it."

Hello. I'm No Fun My Babe. I have mental illnesses. I take lots of meds and am beginning my therapy/psychiatry journeys again. I am not ashamed. I can no more help my mental illnesses than my physical ones. No one should be made to feel ashamed for something they have no control over.

[mirthfairy]

My sister is diabetic. Her pancreas took a crap and doesn't work.

Us crazies have as much control over our condition as she does over hers. Sure, she might be able to control some of it with diet and such, but to prevent her feet falling off in old age or going blind, she has to take her meds. If I want to be able to do anything that involves any sort of stress without hour long crying and screaming jags, I have to take my meds.

As a side note, she's told me that she'd rather keep her diabetes than have my anxiety. 8-)

[Miggy]

I have epilepsy. For a long time, and still in many parts of the world, seizures were considered signs of demon possession. I love my little purple pills!

I pray that one day we will understand depression, anxiety and other conditions as well as we understand epilepsy. I also pray that ignorant people will not stop the sick getting treatment.

[Amygee]

Sooo many people seem to think getting over mental illness is as simple as pulling yerself up by the bootstraps. I have been really hurt by people in my life who felt this way regarding my choice to treat both my son and myself with psychiatry rather than shame and guilt. They weren't as nuts as this guy, but in one case I had to end the relationship because the stress it was causing was making my bipolar symptoms worse.

The good news is, there are people out there who pray for me and make sure I'm seeing my doctor regularly. I know how hard it is to deal with mental illness even when you've got a support network. I can't imagine how horrific it must be to try and cope when the people around you think you're possessed.

[mirele]

My sister is diabetic. Her pancreas took a crap and doesn't work.

Us crazies have as much control over our condition as she does over hers. Sure, she might be able to control some of it with diet and such, but to prevent her feet falling off in old age or going blind, she has to take her meds. If I want to be able to do anything that involves any sort of stress without hour long crying and screaming jags, I have to take my meds.

As a side note, she's told me that she'd rather keep her diabetes than have my anxiety. 8-)

I have depression and diabetes. The depression has pretty much come near to killing me a couple of times. The diabetes, not so much.

People who don't believe in medical treatment of brain illnesses can just kiss my fat pasty depressed & diabetic ass.

[Rosa]

it seems like if adding a chemical to your brain fixes the problem, it was physical. I mean, caffeine doesn't affect my SOUL, and neither does ritalin or Xanax. They are chemicals, they affect your physical body. Therefore using a chemical that changes your mood/behavior is the OPPOSITE of ruling out physical problems.

What part of the logic chain did I drop, here?

[Wolfie]

I have depression and diabetes. The depression has pretty much come near to killing me a couple of times. The diabetes, not so much.

People who don't believe in medical treatment of brain illnesses can just kiss my fat pasty depressed & diabetic ass.

What scares me even more is when they insist that brain illnesses can be cured through diet. That is scary as heck.

(It bothers me even more than when I run into people who insist that you can only get type 2 diabetes from lifestyle/food choices. Um, no, it can be genetic too.)

And both type 2 diabetes and depression run in my family. If anybody managed to convience a certain family member of mine that their depression could be cured by diet, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have that family member anymore- and that would be awful, because we they are on the right meds, they do enjoy life.)

[JesusFightClub]

Er, WTF?

I am bipolar. Not heavily, but "sometimes we have to take you in and have a wee word" level.

The biblical Jonah is nothing like bipolar. It's not just "sometimes feeling happy and sometimes sad". I rapid cycle, so I can go through phases in a morning. I've had a rough weekend where I have been crying bitterly then ecstatic. My eyes are sore from sobbing but all of a sudden it's like the dawn breaks and something beautiful is revealed.

I don't think this bloke really gets the pic. Getting a diagnosis of bipolar disorder isn't "Hello doctor, my moods sometimes change." "Oh right. you're bipolar then". I had a huge big questionnaire and an assessment 1-2-1 by the doc. He said "Unfortunately..."

Luckily my case is minor but I know the symptoms all too well.

[Vex]

I get clinically depressed, and 'changing my focus' doesn't work. I try to distract myself from depression and anxiety in various ways (right now my thing is learning to tie new knots... I don't even know. Keeps my hands busy and it's a cheap hobby) but that only goes so far. Medication helps a lot more, even if I hate taking it.

People like this are dangerous, especially to people with mental illnesses that make them naturally inclined to eschew their medication at the height of their illness like bi polar or schizophrenia. It just validates their ideas that they don't need medication when they really, really do.

My grandmother had schizophrenia and my mother and I always say it killed her: she had curable cancer but refused to see a doctor until it was far too late because of her paranoia. Even then, my mother had to threaten her with police intervention before she would consent to going to hospital. If she had lived in the internet age and read this kind of bullshit I bet she wouldn't have even taken the little medication she would consent to take.

[NjoyingNsanity]

This guy is the type of stupid that believes disorders like schizophrenia are signs of demonic possession and all other mental illnesses are signs of a week will and lack of faith. If I were a crueler person and didn't care about people with mental illnesses I would wish that he had to deal with someone paranoid delusional and off their meds, but I couldn't be that cruel to the sick person.

I've had experience with people who needed to be on meds to function normally and there should be no shame in seeking help in the form of medication if you need it. What really infuriates me is churches like one my mom attended very briefly that believed in laying on of hands healing and then would tell very sick people with lifethreatening illnesses to quit taking their meds as a sign of faith in their healing. They would tell people with diabetes or heart conditions to stop their meds or people with cancer to stop chemo and just consider themselves healed it was the height of stupidity the things they taught and believed.

[deelaem]

This guy is the type of stupid that believes disorders like schizophrenia are signs of demonic possession and all other mental illnesses are signs of a week will and lack of faith. If I were a crueler person and didn't care about people with mental illnesses I would wish that he had to deal with someone paranoid delusional and off their meds, but I couldn't be that cruel to the sick person.

I've had experience with people who needed to be on meds to function normally and there should be no shame in seeking help in the form of medication if you need it. What really infuriates me is churches like one my mom attended very briefly that believed in laying on of hands healing and then would tell very sick people with lifethreatening illnesses to quit taking their meds as a sign of faith in their healing. They would tell people with diabetes or heart conditions to stop their meds or people with cancer to stop chemo and just consider themselves healed it was the height of stupidity the things they taught and believed.

As a mother of a son with paranoid schizophrenia, I just gotta say that most of the time they are not dangerous, even off their meds. A person experiencing paranoid delusions is usually just terribly frightened, and it's better to help them than fear them. I don't consider dealing with my wonderful son to be a cruel thing I have to endure.

[NjoyingNsanity]

No you are right most of the time people with paranoid delusions are harmless and frightened and what I meant was I'd feel bad for the sick person who would be told to just suck it up and pray more if they had to live with this idiot. I do think he could benifit from the reality check of living with someone with a mental illness that can't be controlled with faith and prayer. I once had a roomate who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, on her meds she was as normal and functional as pretty much anyone else, off of them was another story yeah she was frightened but it didn't make matters less scary for friends and family when she would become so frightened that she felt a need to defend herself from us with the biggest knife in the kitchen drawer. That is why I'm all for meds she is one of the smartest, bravest and most inspiring people I know thanks in large part to the fact modern medicine has provided her with the tools she needs to manage what can be a debilitating illness. I think people who think it's a character flaw, or just a case of mind over matter need the experience of dealing with somone who can't get better without the meds to open thier eyes to the fact that mental illnesses are as real and as medically treatable as physical illnesses.

[RachelB]

Okay, I do realize that this is a very old post on this guy's page, but damn, seriously, sorcery? According to him all problems from dementia to Bi-polar disorder are problems with the soul and treating them with medicine is:

The psychiatrist authority to prescribe drugs adds to the misnomer that there is an illness, when in fact what they are doing is not correcting an organic, biological problem they are using drugs to manipulate the personality. This is the practice of sorcery.

Oh, good grief. If he wants to attempt to pray himself better, he can go right ahead. But that's dangerous counsel, and it's a little horrifying to me that he's in a position of spiritual authority over people who might struggle with mental illness.

[Mommy22alyns]

Hmmmm, I knew there was a reason I kept that cauldron in my dungeon.

Seriously though, there is still so much stigma attached to mental illness. While this example is extreme, there are plenty of people who think you simply can just "get over it."

Hello. I'm No Fun My Babe. I have mental illnesses. I take lots of meds and am beginning my therapy/psychiatry journeys again. I am not ashamed. I can no more help my mental illnesses than my physical ones. No one should be made to feel ashamed for something they have no control over.

True and :clap:

[heart4home]

I struggle with that because I always feel that if I had stronger faith, I wouldn't have the mood swings, the paranoid, manic highs, the depressive lows...I went off meds many times thinking that I needed to rely on the Lord more, and my new doctor explained to me that it's not some emotional issue, it's a physical issue, your brain is like any other body part and some body parts have problems and need medicine.

[itsnikki05]

There's so much stupidity there that I can't brain.

Anyways. That's not QUITE how my family feels about my anxiety, but they feel I can just "get over it if I wanted". Which... is ridiculous, imo. If I could get OVER it, I would have years ago. *sigh* But, since I believed them and thought something was WRONG with me, that I could just fix it... I never got help. I did just recently, and I'm not LOVING the meds, but they do help. This guy is a damned IDIOT and if he had to deal with even a mild form of a mental disorder I'm sure he'd take every bit of that back. Asshat.

Praying helps me a lot, but it never gets to the root issue: that it is something wrong with your brain. The fact that people are so ignorant about it and spout shit like that out just amazes me.

[Deleted07]

Yes well, for one I've been depressed and suicidal on my hands and knees with a bottle of pills in my hand, crying and praying and screaming for GOD to please help me, desperately wanting answers, comfort ANYTHING to help me out of the hell that was my mental state at the time!

So that idiot had better not ever come face to face with me saying that shit, cos I will give him a hell of tongue-lashing!

Hope he never has to endure the pain and agony of depression, anxiety or mental illness. and if there is a God, which I very well doubt, I hope he never has a child with that debilitating illness with the only help to be; pray! pft!