Gossip

[bbyrd009]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

I want to second all that ARY and T2W have said.

Being part of the medical community myself, I have realized that mental illness is every bit as real as any medical illness. And, I do believe God is every bit as able to heal mental illness, as He can heal the body too.

But just as you would not tell a diabetic to completely stop taking their meds, neither should you counsel someone dealing with mental illness to stop taking their drugs either, unless great faith is involved, and wisdom, great wisdom!

So Matt, a word to the wise here. The more people know about you, the more power they have over you. Tell as little as you can to people who could use it against you later. That is a sad truth.

Talking to professionals about your situation, in this case, is much more advisable than discussing it with someone who has never dealt with that issue in their own life, or someone who knows nothing about it at all.

I find this advice to be common sense, widely prescribed. And very troubling. I would at least like you to consider the opposite; if you don't hide it at all, and let everyone know, no one that matters will care. It is the "secret" that is the problem, imo. You're in my prayers.

[Margies3]

Originally Posted by Jay

Start praying that God will enable you to be without any medicine. I am a believer that a Christian should not need medicine for much of anything at all. This is especially true of those medications that effect emotions, thoughts, and anything else pschologically. Further, if you are receiving a perscription via a psychiatrist, I would start seeing a psychologist because they are more likely to help rather than give you a pill. I had an option to do that once, and the people I said that to just nodded and told me that I had a point.

HOGWASH!!!! I had a friend who bought into your way of thinking. When she got a mole on her arm, she believed like you. So she refused to see a doctor for it. Within 6 months she was dead - from something that easily could have been stopped and healed.

As far the psychiatric drugs go - let me tell you about a certain birth mother I know about. She is diagnosed with schizophrenia. When she got pregnant, she chose to carry the baby instead of aborting (for that I am so very grateful!). But in order to protect the unborn baby, she had to be taken off of all of her drugs. By the time she gave birth, she had to life-flighted to a much larger hospital and then hospitalized for over 2 months trying to get her back on track.

You can play God all you'd like with people's lives. But personally, I think you are on dangerous territory.

[Titus2woman]

Originally Posted by bbyrd009

I find this advice to be common sense, widely prescribed. And very troubling. I would at least like you to consider the opposite; if you don't hide it at all, and let everyone know, no one that matters will care. It is the "secret" that is the problem, imo. You're in my prayers.

Just because something is private does not mean it is a secret. I have no obligation to tell anyone things about me that do not affect them. Some things, like medical conditions, your bedroom life, etc. are just not public information.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Titus2woman

Just because something is private does not mean it is a secret. I have no obligation to tell anyone things about me that do not affect them. Some things, like medical conditions, your bedroom life, etc. are just not public information.

Yes, I agree with you T2W, and disagree with BB here. There are some things that absolutely need to be kept private, and are not everyone's business.

Having mental illness is not a "sin". The Bible does say to confess our "sins" one to another, but understanding that personal private things like mental illness, and as T2W said "sec" life, then those things definitely need to be kept private, and not discussed in public, but only with professionals or loved ones who care, and will be a help, and never a hindrance.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by Margies3

HOGWASH!!!! I had a friend who bought into your way of thinking. When she got a mole on her arm, she believed like you. So she refused to see a doctor for it. Within 6 months she was dead - from something that easily could have been stopped and healed.

As far the psychiatric drugs go - let me tell you about a certain birth mother I know about. She is diagnosed with schizophrenia. When she got pregnant, she chose to carry the baby instead of aborting (for that I am so very grateful!). But in order to protect the unborn baby, she had to be taken off of all of her drugs. By the time she gave birth, she had to life-flighted to a much larger hospital and then hospitalized for over 2 months trying to get her back on track.

You can play God all you'd like with people's lives. But personally, I think you are on dangerous territory.

Amen. Taking meds is not the equivalent of faithlessness. God can certainly help us and even heal us, but common sense and medicine can be gifts from God too.

[CC1]

Originally Posted by Margies3

HOGWASH!!!! I had a friend who bought into your way of thinking. When she got a mole on her arm, she believed like you. So she refused to see a doctor for it. Within 6 months she was dead - from something that easily could have been stopped and healed.

As far the psychiatric drugs go - let me tell you about a certain birth mother I know about. She is diagnosed with schizophrenia. When she got pregnant, she chose to carry the baby instead of aborting (for that I am so very grateful!). But in order to protect the unborn baby, she had to be taken off of all of her drugs. By the time she gave birth, she had to life-flighted to a much larger hospital and then hospitalized for over 2 months trying to get her back on track.

You can play God all you'd like with people's lives. But personally, I think you are on dangerous territory.

Ditto me for Margies response here to Jay.

Jay, you sound like one of those nuts who ends up in jail for not getting medical attention for a child. I doubt that is how you meant to come across but it is the logical end to your logic.

Regarding this thread in general I think it proves that becoming a Christian does not make a person not an idiot. Well to be more kindly becoming a Christian doesn't automatically give people wisdom, discernment, and common sense. None of which it appears the person had that approached Matt.

Amanah, I was horrified at the confession you made about how you discouraged an alcoholic from going to AA but the fact that upon reflection you know it was a mistake means you have matured a lot since then. Probably both spiritually and in other ways.

This thread is exactly why it is important for Christians to have a good pastor to teach them balance and context for all things spiritual.

[Titus2woman]

I am going to go a step further here.

To me discussing one's mental illness with non-concerned parties is the equivalent of saying "Hi, I'm Melissa and I have hemorrhoids." Not only does no one besides my doctor and maybe my husband or BFF need to know that... Most people would find it uncomfortable to hear, would be embarrased by it, and would find it weird that you even told them. They simply do not want to know. It falls under the too much information tab.

The uninvited knowledge then places a burden on that person. A burden that they may try to lessen by sharing the information with others... so that they are not the only one who knows. I am not excusing the sharing of information given in confidence but if they did not ask you to confide then you are responsible for them having sensitive information that they may not know how to handle. We can make all the assumptions we want about how a person ought to handle the information we give them but we can never be sure how they will unless there is an explicit agreement and a certain level of understanding, as there is with healthcare professionals.

[Amanah]

Originally Posted by CC1

Amanah, I was horrified at the confession you made about how you discouraged an alcoholic from going to AA but the fact that upon reflection you know it was a mistake means you have matured a lot since then. Probably both spiritually and in other ways.

I was attending an UC Church where doctors, Psychiatrists, AA, ect were discouraged, we were to trust God for healing, deliverance, and mental health. Women were encouraged to have their babies at home. Sickness was evidence of sin (according to an elder in the church). Seeing a doctor was evidence of a lack of faith. I was trying to be obedient to what was being preached, and what I believed at the time. So you can be as horrified as you like, but I was a reflection of what I was being taught.

I am no longer an Ultra Con, and no longer hold unrealistically idealistic viewpoints or try to persuade others what route their faith should take.

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by Amanah

I was attending an UC Church where doctors, Psychiatrists, AA, ect were discouraged, we were to trust God for healing, deliverance, and mental health. Women were encouraged to have their babies at home. Sickness was evidence of sin (according to an elder in the church). Seeing a doctor was evidence of a lack of faith. I was trying to be obedient to what was being preached, and what I believed at the time. So you can be as horrified as you like, but I was a reflection of what I was being taught.

I am no longer an Ultra Con, and no longer hold unrealistically idealistic viewpoints or try to persuade others what route their faith should take.

The only bright side to this viewpoint is how awfully fun it is to accuse THEM of all manner of misdeeds and debauchery when they come down with something whether it be the flu, a cold, or more serious like cancer -which must mean their sins were REALLY bad.

[Amanah]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

The only bright side to this viewpoint is how awfully fun it is to accuse THEM of all manner of misdeeds and debauchery when they come down with something whether it be the flu, a cold, or more serious like cancer -which must mean their sins were REALLY bad.

There was a young woman in our church from that same time (years ago) who hit a guy on a bicycle. He was drunk and swerved in front of her. She hit and killed him. She was told (by that same elder) that it happened because of her uncut hair. If she would have stopped cutting her hair God would have protected her from killing that man.