Excerpts from the British Journal of Psychiatry:

TOXIC FAITH SYSTEM AND MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS OF JEHOVAHS WITNESSES
· Control-orientated, arrogantly assertive, power-posturing leadership.
· Authoritarian and legalistic with dictatorial, dogmatic doctrines that are proclaimed to be ‘the Truth’.
· Claims of being the channel of communication between God and mankind; having unique knowledge that makes them special. If members do not submit to its dictatorial rule, the leaders emphasise that any waver of support to the organization or church is evidence of waiver of faith in God.
· Manipulation of members by guilt, shame, blame and fear.
· An “Us-vs-Them” view, a perception of being under persecution.
· Demanding, rigid lifestylesand overwhelming service requirements. Member’s lives are controlled by both spoken and unspoken rules.
· Loss of focus on God, replaced by a complicated process of furthering the church or organization and its rules.
· Followers “in pain,” hiding real feelings that oppose or disagree with the religious system.
· Intolerance of individual thinking, and of criticism of the religious system by its members. Fosters an unhealthy dependency by focusing on themes of submission, loyalty, and obedience to those in authority.
· Severe discipline of members.
· The religious system puts down other religions.
· Leaving the religious system is painful and difficult.
· Closed communication: information is only valid if it comes from the top of the religious down, and from inside the system to the outside of it.
· Labelling: a technique used to discount a person who opposes the beliefs of the religious system.
· What you do is more important than who you are.
· Love and acceptance are earned by doing certain things.
· Scripture-twisting.
· Scare tactics; focus on demons.
· Threats to remove members from the group.
· Members are misled into thinking that the only safety is in the religious system.
· A view that education is bad or unnecessary.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTS
- Members of the group must believe that the doctrines of the group are the one and only “Truth.”
- Members must follow the doctrines even if they don’t understand them.
- The doctrines form the basis of all thoughts, feelings, and actions.
- There is an “Us-vs-Them” belief that no outside group is recognized as godly.
- No independent thinking by members is allowed.
- It teaches that there is a huge conspiracy (actually non-existent) working to thwart the group.
- Teaches that spirit beings are constantly critically observing the members
- Members are made to feel elite, chosen by God to lead mankind out of darkness.
- The group looks down on other religious groups.
- Members are told if they don’t fully perform their duties, they are failing humility.
- Members are required to render absolute obedience to their superiors.
- When members leave the group, the love that was formerly shown to them turns into anger, hatred, and ridicule.
- The group uses guilt and shame to control its members.
- Fear is a major motivator.
- Members feel a great sense of urgency about given tasks.
- May groups teach that the apocalypse is just around the corner, and have timetables for it’s occurrence with dates near enough to carry an emotional punch.
- Members are kept extremely busy.
- The future is a time when members will be rewarded because ‘the great change’ has come.
- There is never a legitimate reason for leaving the group.
- Members are indoctrinated with the belief that if they ever leave the group, terrible consequences will befall them.
- Members are forbidden to think negative thoughts about the group.
- Members are forbidden to have contact with former members of the group.
- ‘The ‘truth’ is changed to fit the needs of the situation.
- Friendships in the group are shallow; the only real allegiance is to the leader.
- There is no allowance for interpretation of or deviation from the groups doctrines.
- The leadership systematically creates a sense of powerlessness in its members.
- The group causes members to become extremely dependent on its compliance-oriented expressions of love and support; dread of losing the groups support.
- ‘Love Bombing’: members shower much attention on prospective members.
- Members must project a façade of happiness.
- Members must believe the group is always right, even if it contradicts itself.
- Members spend more and more time with and under the direction of the group.
- Those who do not conform to the group’s requirements will be expelled.
- Disagreement with or doubts about the groups teachings are always the fault of the member, due to lack of faith or lack of understanding.
- The group is superior to and different from all other groups.
- Members must trust the group leaders instead of themselves.
- Members have similar odd mannerisms and modes of speech.
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS OF JWs
According to various scientific studies in the USA, JWs experience mental health problems at a level considerably higher than that found in virtually every other American religious group. Sadly many JWs will view these studies as an attack upon the WTS and so, in defence of the WTS, they will deny the validity of the studies. This is a grave mistake because it puts the welfare of JWs at further risk.
ACADEMIC STUDIES
1. THE RYLANDER STUDY (Sweden mid-20th century)
Dr. Rylander studied 126 JWs who had been imprisoned as conscientious objectors: 51 were neurotic; 42 psychotic; 32 mentally retarded; 5 were brain-damaged. Of the eligible armed service Swedish population 4% were assessed as psychologically unfit whereas 21% of JWs were. These were strongly active JWs. Rylander concluded that the WTS’ influence was detrimental to mental health.
2. PESCOR STUDY (America)
From a sample of 177 young male JWs imprisoned as conscientious objectors 7% were diagnosed as psychotic and 25% as maladjusted. This was 17 times higher than for other prisoners.
3. JANNER STUDY (Switzerland 1963)
This study of 85 JWs imprisoned as conscientious objectors revealed that, compared with the general prison population, they had an abnormally high level of fear anxiety, neuroticism, and introversion and/ or social isolation tendencies. Mentally they “were somewhat removed from reality.” Janner concluded that the WT influence was often not positive and that those with emotional problems when they became JWs were not helped by the WT, but rather it had an adverse effect on them.
4. SPENCER STUDY (Australia 1973)
This study of active JWs who had been admitted to psychiatric hospitals revealed that the rate of serious mental illness among this group was three times higher than that of non-witnesses. Paranoid schizophrenia was four times higher.
5. MONTAGUE STUDY (Ohio 1972-1986)
“The mental illness rate of JWs is approximately 10-16 times higher than the rate for the general, non-witness population [and that]...about 10% of the full members in the average congregation are in serious need of professional help...[although they are often] able to hide this fact quite well, especially from outsiders.” Montague concluded that persons who had emotional problems were attracted to the WTS but WT involvement also caused many of the emotional problems that they suffered.
6. POTTER STUDY (thesis for Ph.D.)
Potter concluded that there exists “a strong correlation between Witness membership and clinical schizophrenia. Similar studies by Elmer Koppl in Germany and Kjell Totland in Norway reveal the same pattern.
7. BERGMAN’S STUDIES
The current leading investigator of mental health issues among JWs is Jerry Bergman Ph.D. who was a JW for 20 years. From this perspective he was able to assess the reasons for the poor mental health of JWs better than others in the psychiatric profession:
GENERAL EFFECT OF MENTAL CONFLICT
Eventually for most JWs there will be a degree of mental conflict. If there is no resolution and they continue to be part of the WT organization they will tend to be putting on an appearance so that they will be continually hearing things at the meetings or other JW association with which they do not agree and, in fact, they themselves will be saying things with which they do not agree e.g. statements to follow the party line or answers given from WT literature. Most JWs can cope with up to four conflicts and still maintain their confidence in the WTS. However, whilst doing this the toll on their mental health is considerable. Disillusionment usually sets in when the JW realizes that there are numerous things wrong with the WTS and that these things are never going to be rectified because of the rigidity that occurs (as with all religions over time, i.e. the traditional understanding becomes fixed so that no further progress is made in understanding actual Bible teachings).
CHOICE OF HELP
For an active JW to go to a therapist who is also a JW can be counterproductive because such a therapist will feel duty bound to the WTS to inform them of the revealed sins, problems and doubts. The psychiatric profession views such informing as utterly unethical.
Some JW therapists have requested that the JW patient sign a waiver concerning normal confidentiality. This is again highly unethical.
The opinion of professional psychiatrists/psychologists concerning the counselling and advice given by JW elders is that it does far more harm than good and it can bring the most disastrous results for the patient. This is because JW elders are mostly uneducated and untrained, especially as regards dealing with the personal problems of individuals. Just knowing Scriptures is not enough. It is even worse if the Scriptures are misused on the person with the problem
A doctor’s diagnosis:
This type of head pain can be caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain, which can be due to stress that is caused by living in a way that is not in agreement with the way you feel internally.
REALITY CONTRADICTS WT STATEMENTS
Within congregations JWs usually, at some point in time, experience personality conflicts. This tells them that all is not well in God’s organization. They are then required to let the general public know that JWs provide a ‘spiritual paradise.’ This is very damaging mentally for the JW.
Furthermore, JWs find that the conduct and attitude that is espoused in the literature does not at all match with the way other JWs often deal with them. This especially true if there is an issue over money.
CONFLICT OVER DOCTRINAL FLIP-FLOPS
If past WTS policy has resulted in harm to or death of a loved one and then the policy changes, the result is extreme mental anguish and heartbreak over the damage to or loss of the loved one. It is almost impossible for the JW to come to terms with the conflicting thoughts and produces resentment toward the WTS and other JWs. The false-encouragement from those who say things like “well she was loyal to Jehovah” is a hollow consolation.
CONFLICT OVER PROPHECY FAILURE
After such a failure the process for the individual JW goes from disappointment to confusion to explaining it away. This creates some fragmentation of the personality and integrity.
UNHEALTHY SUBORDINATION
This produces in the JW a state of fear, a loss of self-esteem, a failure to find self-fulfilment or resentment. All of these mental negatives can lead to a variety of health problems.
UNJUSTIFIABLE GUILT
This results from a fear of failing to meet up to the WTS demanding requirements.
CONCLUSION
· The WT has provided few effective major guidelines to help JWs live their lives because the main goal is to serve the WT.
· The enforced field service, with little or no success for most JWs in finding anyone really interested. This very unrewarding situation creates a sub-conscious lack of self-fulfilment. Most JWs would be thrilled if the WTS announced that the preaching work was to end forthwith.
· The original joy that a new JW finds steadily fades in to a demoralization, loss of real spirituality, and sometimes even leading to suicide.
· The main general mental health problem of JWs is depressiongenerally caused by many or all of the above factors including negativity concerning the present.
· According to the psychiatric profession the prime serious mental health problem of JWs is paranoia schizophrenia which is four times higher than for non-JWs.
