Guest nonreligiousbelieverinGod Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I have anxiety and depression issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vomit Comet Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Oh yeah, I sure do. And let me say that religion and mental illness don't mix very well, especially if it's bat-shit demon-haunted Pentecostalism and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ramos28 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 anxiety, OCD, depression...combioned with Pentacostalism= deadly agree with the post above... got better once I left as it was an extreme push in another direction (thinking wise), but I have slowly came back to the old thinking pattern several weeks once the emotionalism of de-conversion wore off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loren Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Anxiety, depression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane of the Jungle Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hi All :-), I also tended to get depressed and very negative before I de-converted, also had a bit downtime when I was in the process, which also brought back a lot of anger. But I must say, now I am fine, I get negative now and then, but on normal life issues like after a fight etc, but the depro feeling "just because" is not there any more, because I now do understand where it came from in the past. The only thing I still struggle with is "How da hell can every one around me, still be so BLIND" (could call it something else than blind, but would rather not ) If you de convert, it is almost like a curtain removed from your sight, feels like now I can start using my BRAIN. Only sad thing is, me not figuring this 20yrs ago Take Care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastKing Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Deprssion, Opissive Thoughts and Lucid Dreams. That last one was ware Christians took ture Advantage of me and my trust. I was seeing wired things before I would fall asleep. Faces, monsters, shodowy figures ect. So my well traird Christian Counlser and Christian freinds told me that they were demons who did not want me praying for some Freind I did not see or herd from in years. It was not untill I started asking around out side of Christianty Did I discover it was all just in my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandermac Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Depression, NO self esteem. All of this has slowly gotten better since I began to live in reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Low or no self esteem and episodes of depression since I was about 12. Despite some improvement over the years - still have issues with anxiety which are mostly job related; overall frustration, semi -prone toward being jealous of others who I think have it easier, loneliness and a certain amount of bitterness at being sold on a false view of life when I was young. I work on this stuff every day though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShallowByThyGame Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 classic anxiety disorder, which leads to attention deficit problems. My worst nightmare is being sentenced to die for a crime I did not commit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameen Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 OCD exacerbated by my time in a religious cult. Depression as well. I started a thread about OCD here: http://www.ex-christian.net/index.php?show...c=29592&hl= Since I do volunteer work with others who have OCD, I am available to help if someone needs to talk about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Zero self esteem, depression, severe, sometimes paralyzing anxiety, OCD, and extremely sensitive trigger points that can erupt me with anger if pushed right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Depression - I have found Cymbalta to be effective Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabula Rasa Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I've got OCD(Mostly security issues, making sure doors are locked, and my money,id and cards are in my wallet.),anxiety, lack of self esteem,I used to think everyone was better than me and thought women had no interest in me whatsoever. Also, slight paranoia- (This was triggered by having four police cars show up because I checked the doors on my car a few too many times before going into work one day, and having to sit in the back of a patrol car for 45 minutes while they checked my car before I was released(Wasn't cuffed though.) To be fair, this was only a few months after the bombing at the 96 olympics, and people were probably still on edge about the "bubba bomber". I was parked next to a newspaper recycling bin, so whoever called the cops might have thought I was up to something.) In regard to OCD, I've thought of getting medication, but with hearing how some medicines can change your personality, I'm a little skittish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I've got OCD(Mostly security issues, making sure doors are locked, and my money,id and cards are in my wallet.),anxiety, lack of self esteem,I used to think everyone was better than me and thought women had no interest in me whatsoever. Also, slight paranoia-... ...In regard to OCD, I've thought of getting medication, but with hearing how some medicines can change your personality, I'm a little skittish. Wow, that is exactly me as well. I smoke a lot of pot too, I think to hide from my own low self image, or something similar. I also think the OCD makes me smoke more than I should... I would never take any medicine for any of it though. I may be (improperly) self medicating with Cannabis, but at least I know it won't increase my suicidal thoughts, rip a hole in my heart, or any of the other crazy side effects modern drugs have. Not to mention I don't buy into the "take a pill and fix everything" mentality of American medicine. I get better results by eating fresh whole foods and vegetables and staying away from artificial anything. Every time I stray off that diet I get depressed and self-loathing again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 We're ex-christian. Of course we have mental issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ nivek ♦ Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Burned out from collecting societies, businesses and corporations body parts and trying to save them. Sleeping with dreams that horrify *normals*. kFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendredie Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Anxiety issues-- mostly to do with self-esteem, school, etc. And a very bad phobia of thunderstorms. Last night I heard thunder and woke up standing in the hallway screaming Depression- really only during the summer for some reason, probably because my anxiety says I shouldn't go outside because I'm so pale and skinny. That and it also says lightning might strike me out of nowhere if a cloud pops up that's darker than the ones around it. Anger- for some reason ever since I went on Accutane I've been getting really angry for little reason. I've been off it a few months but the anger remains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vomit Comet Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Anxiety issues-- mostly to do with self-esteem, school, etc. And a very bad phobia of thunderstorms. Last night I heard thunder and woke up standing in the hallway screaming You should move to Southern California. Rainy season was something to behold, but we could go years without getting any thunder and lightening, as far as I can recall. And between late April and late January, most years, you wouldn't see a drop of rain. We'd get almost all our rain for the year in January/February, and then light sporadic sprinklings between then and the end of April, and that was it. Depression- really only during the summer for some reason, probably because my anxiety says I shouldn't go outside because I'm so pale and skinny. Hmmmmmmmm... it's skin season between March and October there, pretty much. But... Skinny? You'll blend right in. Pale? No problem, lots of sunshine. If that doesn't work, just dye your hair black, wear dark lipstick, and there you go. That and it also says lightning might strike me out of nowhere if a cloud pops up that's darker than the ones around it. Not one single drop throughout the summer. Summer storms were aberrations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nonreligiousbelieverinGod Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I really appreciate all the honest responses although I feel this terrible pain for all of us in this condition and I wish that this wasn't so for us. I wish we knew things like "how we got here" "why we are here" and were very tolerant of our diverse world. It is not clear and we each have to make up our own purpose. Ramos28, I too had this rest of feeling emotionally free went I left religion but now I am back with my anxiety and depression and OCD problems. They are not so bad as before but I still don't function real well. I was also into Pentocostalism too and it was the "intense, loud" type of church. I believe there is a God or higher power but I don't feel connected to it. But, I rather feel this way than feel falsely connected to some church that cannot prove what they believe. I believe in the basic things like good and bad in morals. I like "regular" people too since I deconverted and I don't think they are going to hell. . But, I am not on some "high" anymore, or some deep depressive low and thinking that because I don't understand the bible or the church that I am doomed. I have a chronic kind of mild depression and chronic mild anxiety that people can see and notice. It is better but I am not all that well either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Depression here, with some anxiety. I third the "Pentecostal + emotional issues = Very Bad Juju" equation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatG Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Jesus Christ guys!! I am naturally narcissistically inclined in my personality, but I have become especially confident and now hold my head up HIGH after denying any bit of truth to religion. I can now look outside and be driven to AWE just by staring at a seagull hovering in the windy air. Reality has become much more meaningful to me now that I don't have to apply a god-complex to it. Life has become beautiful -- This is our ONE opportunity at existence -- beyond this is nothing. Don't take your life for granted. LIVE! Achieve! Quit dragging yourself down. I now walk with my head high. Confidence is somewhat shaky -- but more for the approaching that beautiful girl type thing. This is life! Don't let anyone else ruin it for you. Don't be the unhappy-atheist person, it's up to you-and only you to change your reality. Just analyze your life -- where you are -- Is your career the one you want? Have you reached your Education goal? Start doing the things that will help you achieve. Without achieving - the human species tends to feel depressed -- like they arent doing anything with their life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameen Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Jesus Christ guys!! I am naturally narcissistically inclined in my personality, but I have become especially confident and now hold my head up HIGH after denying any bit of truth to religion. I can now look outside and be driven to AWE just by staring at a seagull hovering in the windy air. Reality has become much more meaningful to me now that I don't have to apply a god-complex to it. Life has become beautiful -- This is our ONE opportunity at existence -- beyond this is nothing. Don't take your life for granted. LIVE! Achieve! Quit dragging yourself down. I now walk with my head high. Confidence is somewhat shaky -- but more for the approaching that beautiful girl type thing. This is life! Don't let anyone else ruin it for you. Don't be the unhappy-atheist person, it's up to you-and only you to change your reality. Just analyze your life -- where you are -- Is your career the one you want? Have you reached your Education goal? Start doing the things that will help you achieve. Without achieving - the human species tends to feel depressed -- like they arent doing anything with their life. While I appreciate this poster's desire to help others and acknowledge the time he or she put into writing the post, I want to caution people with disorders from taking the post the wrong way. Since I do volunteer work with OCD people and have OCD myself, I know that this post, while well intentioned, might cause an OCD person to blame himself/herself for being unhappy and having obsessions and compulsions that make many daily functions difficult or even impossible. "Quit dragging yourself down" is especially problematic, as the unwanted, intrusive thoughts, fears, and compulsions are not a conscious choice on the part of the sufferer. Someone with mild OCD can indeed get well through self-help books and techniques alone, I grant you, but the rest of us cannot. OCD, like other mental health issues, has a clear biological component, and that needs to be addressed for the person to get will and take charge of life. If, like many of us, religion pounded further horrors into your head and OCD latched onto them, you are going to find it even more difficult than a non-OCD person to get past them. Healing is not an overnight process. Indeed, if an OCD person could stop the behavior simply by thinking positively, OCD would not be the horror show disorder it is. The good news is that OCD is highly treatable and that behavior therapy and/or medication work well and relatively quickly. Since the 1980s, OCD has been one of the most understood and treatable of all mental disorders. Before analysing life and looking at career and educational goals, OCD folks have to use ERP and/or CBT (both of which are forms of behavior therapy) to address their issues in steps and, quite literally, create new pathways in their brains by overriding the parts of the brain that are malfunctioning. They may or may not need medication--which I do--depending on how severe the OCD is. We learn how to be well and how to keep being well, something OCD prevents us from realizing without professional help. Yes, a lot of responsibility for healing rests with us, but, again, only those of us with mild forms of the disorder can do it alone. Here's a mainstream article on OCD from Time Magazine that will explain further: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1649303,00.html I have many more articles, some written by specialists, at my disposal. I have also published one myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 ...Don't take your life for granted. LIVE! Achieve! Quit dragging yourself down. With such a post you only show your youth and lack of life experience. Bully for you. I hope you are able to maintain such an optimistic attitude in the future In the meantime I don't think it is helpful to minimize other people's experiences. You sound like one so-called friend who told me in relation to my job anxiety "its so unnecessary". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatG Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 But -- Dont you notice quite a strong correlation between the 'ex-christian' and these mental problems? Mind you they are not all self-induced, they can be prevented. A lot of people with these mental problems tend to sit there and let things happen 'to' them, without going 'to' them. It just seemed too strong evidence that these people with such a brush with religion are all now depressed, vulnerable. I dont believe in 'blaming yourself', and I am not 'optimistic' as you suggested, merely what this quote is suggesting; "Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" There are far too many people who play the victim in life. I am far from trolling, and if it seems that way -- I apologize. I am merely just saying, maybe a nice walk through the park, forest, or lake would be quite a wake up call to the beauty of life. I know far too well that life without my parents is hard. They have cut off nearly full contact from me for hopes that they appease their god. I know depression and the sort. But we can't just sit in the pit and mud and play in it, we have to stand up at some point and start walking... Sink or Swim type saying... And I completely understand that I am somewhat apathetic, and disconnect myself emotionally from others, and for that -- I apologize to some who disagree with my post... Im just tired of people being played as the victim in this religion game, it just makes you a perfect target to these religions, and makes you prime for 'salvation'. I apologize for coming off rudely, I find it hard to deal with others being depressed as I have a different viewpoint/scope in my relation to life... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightflight Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I have issues. Oh I know, I know, hard to believe it but its true. I have experienced depression and anxiety all my life. Much of it is intertwined with Christianity, but I can't say if Xianity is the cause. Though I've not been diagnosed, I obviously exhibit symptoms of OCD. Lately I've been wondering if it is that which makes my experience with Xianity so hard to shake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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