Former Christians and Mental Health

[kellyb]

First of all, yes, I know asking this question is the epitome of seeking info that reinforces one's beliefs.
BUT...
That said, are there any other former Christians here who feel that rejecting the religion has done wonders for their mental health?

I used to get so, so depressed trying to hold onto faith. Prayer as a way of coping with life's terribleness was not good for me. I would just get more and more and more upset, spiral into a deep depression, beg god for insight or help or guidance, or ANYTHING, and very often, nothing remotely good would come of it. The cognitive dissonance I was trying to deal with wasn't helping, either.

I deconverted almost 6 years ago now, and haven't gotten seriously depressed since. It very well might be a coincidence, but I dunno. I no longer really believe in free will, and that makes holding onto anger at others hard. I accept that life is just brutal, **** happens, and there's not necessarily some deep underlying inherent "meaning" to anything bad that happens. It is what it is, and that's sort of it.

That's not to say I never get sad, but I don't work myself into prayer-related "TALK TO ME, GOD!" crazy depressions any more. I'm a million times better at just rolling with stuff.

Anyone else feel like ditching religion was better than Prozac for you?

[lionking]

I can't really say, and I would be interested in seeing some research in this area. However I would have thought that someone with real faith would be likely to be quite psychologically stable - no fear of death, trust in god and so on.

[kellyb]

I can't really say, and I would be interested in seeing some research in this area. However I would have thought that someone with real faith would be likely to be quite psychologically stable - no fear of death, trust in god and so on.

I'm sure that's often true. But sometimes the whole "But this doesn't really make any sense" aspect gets to folks.

[lionking]

I'm sure that's often true. But sometimes the whole "But this doesn't really make any sense" aspect gets to folks.Of course, which is why I stopped believing at about 12. But I speak to a lot of older people who talk about the comfort they get from religion as they approach death. Which IMHO, is the only saving grace of belief.

[Tumblehome]

After reading the OP, I thought of how much better off Mother Teresa would have been if she could have let go of what she doubted so deeply.

[Trent Wray]

I can't really say, and I would be interested in seeing some research in this area. However I would have thought that someone with real faith would be likely to be quite psychologically stable - no fear of death, trust in god and so on. If that is really something they believe, then perhaps their dissonance is being absolved and overridden, etc.

I think it's the "fence riders" who would seemingly be the most "unstable" because their personal frame of refferrence* hasn't been established. Their standard for judging "truth" in order to accomplish a goal with their life is perhaps too much at the whims of both poles .... the emotional and/or mental aspects.

That having been said, I wonder if a "stable agnostic" has a broader POV, gelling a bit of both poles in ways that atheists / believers might not.

It also makes me wonder if a "stable agnostic" loses something in turn to gain that stability with there being an unknowable god ... I hope that makes sense.







* I tried to spell that word like 7 times and couldn't get it so I gave up :(

[laca]

First of all, yes, I know asking this question is the epitome of seeking info that reinforces one's beliefs.
BUT...
That said, are there any other former Christians here who feel that rejecting the religion has done wonders for their mental health?


Yes.


I used to get so, so depressed trying to hold onto faith. Prayer as a way of coping with life's terribleness was not good for me. I would just get more and more and more upset, spiral into a deep depression, beg god for insight or help or guidance, or ANYTHING, and very often, nothing remotely good would come of it. The cognitive dissonance I was trying to deal with wasn't helping, either.


I wasn't getting depressed as much as confused and frustrated.


I deconverted almost 6 years ago now, and haven't gotten seriously depressed since. It very well might be a coincidence, but I dunno. I no longer really believe in free will, and that makes holding onto anger at others hard. I accept that life is just brutal, **** happens, and there's not necessarily some deep underlying inherent "meaning" to anything bad that happens. It is what it is, and that's sort of it.


Amen to that.


That's not to say I never get sad, but I don't work myself into prayer-related "TALK TO ME, GOD!" crazy depressions any more. I'm a million times better at just rolling with stuff.

Anyone else feel like ditching religion was better than Prozac for you?

Yep. Feeling that I was in control and nobody else did wonders for my sanity.

[laca]

I can't really say, and I would be interested in seeing some research in this area. However I would have thought that someone with real faith would be likely to be quite psychologically stable - no fear of death, trust in god and so on.

That might be true up to a point, a point where everything goes wrong and they become quite unstable and start going amok.

[laca]

If that is really something they believe, then perhaps their dissonance is being absolved and overridden, etc.

I think it's the "fence riders" who would seemingly be the most "unstable" because their personal frame of refferrence* hasn't been established. Their standard for judging "truth" in order to accomplish a goal with their life is perhaps too much at the whims of both poles .... the emotional and/or mental aspects.

That having been said, I wonder if a "stable agnostic" has a broader POV, gelling a bit of both poles in ways that atheists / believers might not.

It also makes me wonder if a "stable agnostic" loses something in turn to gain that stability with there being an unknowable god ... I hope that makes sense.


Agnostic and atheist are not mutually exclusive terms. Agnosticism is a term that can be applied to both atheism and theism.


* I tried to spell that word like 7 times and couldn't get it so I gave up :(

Just loose the doubles ;)

[Trent Wray]

Just loose the doubles ;) Thanx :D

It's just that so many fun things come in twos ... ;)

[blutoski]

I think 'mental health' is pretty broad.

I can't imagine there being any effect of changing religious convictions on organic disorders such as anxiety, schizophrenia, or mood disorders.

However, there is some reason to believe that there will be impacts on ordinary mood in healthy people that would be caused by a change in social support.

Mostly, the anecdotes I hear are that there is an increased depression among people who stop attending services and church social events. And why not? They're grieving the loss of a good imaginary friend, and probably a lot of real-life friends and family, too, if they've "come out" in a region with low tolerance. They may also be grieving for lost years spent in what they consider to be unproductive religious activities.

This is very likely a main reason that so many ex-religious atheists lurch very quickly from being very churchy to attending a high volume of Humanist and atheist events instead. (there is research supporting the profound personality distinctions between what are referred to as "first" vs "second generation" atheists)

One of the things Barry Beyerstein and I talked about was the Humanists and how - as skeptics - we didn't exactly understand them. His humourous definition of a Humanist was "An Atheist with a mysterious hangup about needing to join a group that meets on Sunday morning."

[blutoski]

This is very likely a main reason that so many ex-religious atheists lurch very quickly from being very churchy to attending a high volume of Humanist and atheist events instead. (there is research supporting the profound personality distinctions between what are referred to as "first" vs "second generation" atheists)

Apropos... I just realized that Elaine Ecklund was interviewed on Point of Inquiry about precisely this topic quite recently.

[From Point of Inquiry: Are First and Second Generation Atheists Any Different? (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2010/05/10/from-point-of-inquiry-are-first-and-second-generation-atheists-anydifferent/)]

[kellyb]

I think 'mental health' is pretty broad.

I can't imagine there being any effect of changing religious convictions on organic disorders such as anxiety, schizophrenia, or mood disorders.



Some things like anxiety and mood disorders can be situational, no? And CBT can be significantly effective, which means that "ways of coping" can be either positive or negative?

Just like CBT can teach and reinforce "good/effective" coping skills, some religious ideas could just make things worse for some folks? I really think the whole "You feel bad because of your sins" idea was part of why I got so confused and depressed before.

I guess I'm trying to hone in on those somewhat rare folks who mentally and emotionally fought religion vs atheism out. I think we're a legit sub-group.

[Professor Yaffle]

I can imagine that for some people there would be an improvement in mental health in this situation - if you are very unhappy in a situation its bound to affect your mental health to some degree - but then quite often people just exchange one set of stressors for another, so its hard to generalise. I think the literature shows a slight relationship, with churchgoing being related to more positive mental health - I think as blutoski said a lot of that is down to having a social support network.

I got depressed when I was a believer, and I get depressed now. Didn't seem to have any impact on my mental health.

[sgtbaker]

I was a cyclic depressive before and after my conversion. I find it a bit of a seesaw in thinking, sometimes. Where-as I no longer take life and it's random events so personal, anymore, I can feel a bit vulnerable at times. Without the god of my catholic faith, I take comfort in believing that my dear friend who committed suicide is not burning in hell, but it also means that without an afterlife, he is gone forever. I guess it all depends on how you look at things.

[blutoski]

Some things like anxiety and mood disorders can be situational, no?

I think 'situational' is a vague word. GAD expression will vary with the situation, but not its magnitude.



And CBT can be significantly effective, which means that "ways of coping" can be either positive or negative?

It probably varies with the disorder. The more organic the disorder, the more refractory to CBT.




Just like CBT can teach and reinforce "good/effective" coping skills, some religious ideas could just make things worse for some folks? I really think the whole "You feel bad because of your sins" idea was part of why I got so confused and depressed before.

I'm sure there are people who wrestled with this and were negatively affected.

My overall impression, though, is that religious beliefs were struggles for some people to manage, but probably for a minority. It seems to be a good psychological fit providing more benefits than costs for most people, and I suspect that's why it is so popular.



I guess I'm trying to hone in on those somewhat rare folks who mentally and emotionally fought religion vs atheism out.

My impression is that that's the type of person that Humanist and Atheist groups attract. Hopefully not so rare that you can't locate a nest nearby.



I think we're a legit sub-group.

I agree.

My personal interest is in pursuing good information about personality constellations and religion and skepticism &c. (If only somebody would fund such research!)

[jwalker1960]

Abandoning any religion or other oppressive system of belief will do wonders for you mental health. The stress that is put on a believer to be good and follow the rules, and the guilt that comes when they inevitable fail do terrible things for one's mental health. Religions require people to hold themselves up to impossible standards of conduct that contradict human nature. The result; everyone is a sinner, everyone is guilty, everyone suffers from that guilt and feelings of not being worthy of God's or their fellow believer's love. No wonder there is so much unhappiness, envy, jealously, and hate in the world. It all stems from feelings of being unworthy, imperfect and a failure.

[Mister Agenda]

This is very likely a main reason that so many ex-religious atheists lurch very quickly from being very churchy to attending a high volume of Humanist and atheist events instead. (there is research supporting the profound personality distinctions between what are referred to as "first" vs "second generation" atheists).

In following up on this, I stumbled on a Conservipedia article on second generation atheists that bascially claims they tend not to amount to anything: in comparison, I suppose, to Christians.

[blutoski]

In following up on this, I stumbled on a Conservipedia article on second generation atheists that bascially claims they tend not to amount to anything: in comparison, I suppose, to Christians.

Globally, it's really the first generation atheists that are the exception worth examining.

Second generation atheists are pretty much the same personality profile distribution as the general population in the area.

Or do you think they were talking about achievements?

[kellyb]

I think 'situational' is a vague word. GAD expression will vary with the situation, but not its magnitude.



I dunno. Are you classifying depression as a mood disorder? In "my entire immediate family was killed in a driving accident" situation, I think people not biologically prone to depression might experience severe depression, for example.

It probably varies with the disorder. The more organic the disorder, the more refractory to CBT.
That makes perfect sense.




I'm sure there are people who wrestled with this and were negatively affected.
My overall impression, though, is that religious beliefs were struggles for some people to manage, but probably for a minority. It seems to be a good psychological fit providing more benefits than costs for most people, and I suspect that's why it is so popular.

I agree.

[Complexity]

In following up on this, I stumbled on a Conservipedia article on second generation atheists that bascially claims they tend not to amount to anything: in comparison, I suppose, to Christians.


Wash your hands, then wash your brains.

The stupid burns.

[cienaños]

My psychic gift tells me it'll be another 1000 years before earthlings will finally treat the currently thriving religions as they currently treat the paleolithic religions.

In 1000 years, Dawkianity will be the new jig. Crazy will survive. As will depression. As will joy. Uranus will also be plundered.