Utah Leads Nation in Antidepressant Use

A report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.  This week’s item is from the Los Angeles Times, February 20, 2002 with a headline: “Study Finds Utah Leads the Nation in Antidepressant Use,” dateline: Salt Lake City.Doctors here have for years talked about the widespread use of antidepressants in the state.But there was no hard evidence until a national study that tracked drug prescriptions came to an unexpected conclusion.Antidepressant drugs are prescribed in Utah more often than in any other state at a rate nearly twice the national average.“Few here question the veracity of the study, which was a tabulation of prescription orders,” said Dr. Curtis Canning, President of the Utah Psychiatric Association.“But trying to understand the why has puzzled many,” he said.“The one true answer is we don’t know,” said Canning, who has a private practice in Logan.“I have some hunches.In Mormondom there is a social expectation particularly among the females to put on a mask, say yes to everything that comes at her and hide the misery and pain.I call it the ‘Mother of Zion’ syndrome.You are supposed to be perfect because Mrs. Smith across the street can do it and she has three more kids than you and her hair is always in place.I think the cultural issue is very real.There is the expectation that you should be happy, and if you’re not happy, you’re failing.Discussion of the issue inevitably falls along Utah’s traditional fault lines.Some suggest that Utah’s unique Mormon culture—70% of the state’s population belongs to the church, requires perfection and the public presentation of a happy face, whatever may be happening privately.The argument goes that women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are beset by particular pressures and are not encouraged to acknowledge their struggles.Cindy Mann who lives in Logan, said after 15 years of taking antidepressants and not feeling better, she finally quit in July.Today, she encourages others to do likewise, but she is pessimistic.“It’s like HappyValley here,” she said, describing the SaltLakeValley.It’s a scary place sometimes.People don’t talk about their problems, everything is always rosy.That’s how we got ourselves into this mess.We’re good at ignoring things.”

Tom:

Dave this psychiatrist had some hunches and I’ve got a few hunches myself.

Dave:

I have a few also.

Tom:

It doesn’t just apply to Mormons, but I think it applies to any legalistic system.If you try to be right or righteous in your own strength, you can only carry that so far and then it begins to break down.If you then look at your religion as an emblem of some kind that you want to attract people to, now you have to put on a façade.You can’t undermine it and we know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been promoting themselves in every which way that you can imagine, through advertising, through television, through all kinds of things to be what they pretend to be.

Dave:

Well if I were a Mormon I would have a number of reasons for being depressed.Number one, I’ve got a book, The Book of Mormon that they have scoured North, Central, South America, they have spent millions out there—archaeologists, searching—they can’t find a pin, they even find the topography, they can’t find a bay or a mountain, nothing, no evidence of these vast civilizations, the wars they had at Mount Camorra, you can’t even find an arrowhead.That would be depressing that this great book that we’re following—

Tom:

Something that you’ve dedicated your life to doesn’t—

Dave:
Yes, it doesn’t add up.Next, I would be really depressed if I learned something about Joseph Smith.The man was a fraud and we have public records to prove it.He made prophecies that didn’t come true.Now today, the Mormon Church has a prophet at the head of it, but he doesn’t prophesy.It’s a non-profit institution that makes a lot of money, but their prophet doesn’t prophesy.He wouldn’t dare, because Joseph Smith and the previous ones back there made so many errors.That would be depressing.Then I’ve got to somehow earn my way to heaven.

Tom:

That’s the biggest and most depressing aspect of the whole system.

Dave:

Right.I’ve got to pull myself up by my boot straps and I’ve got to become a god.

Tom:

If you are a male.

Dave:

That’s right.If you are a woman, you look forward to eternal pregnancy.That would be depressing too.

Tom:

And it’s interesting this article also pointed out that it’s the women who are taking most of these antidepressant drugs.

Dave:

Right.That seems to be the case in society as a whole.But you’ve got to go through endless ceremonies in the temple.You have to trace your ancestors back to Adam and be baptized for all of them.You know you will never ever, ever do that, there isn’t time enough and further more we don’t have the records to go back that far.So you go through these—I mean I’ve talked to a number of ex-Mormons now, who going into the temple and finding out you’ve got to strip down to nothing and then you’ve got this sheet on you and so forth, and you go through these rituals that are supposedly going to get you started on well, Joseph Smith said it could go on for ions.This is a ladder that you’ve got to climb to somehow reach godhood and reach perfection and so forth.That’s pretty discouraging.We talked in the last segment about God’s grace and God’s love and that we are nothing, we can’t earn our way to heaven, we can’t merit it.That is pride to imagine that we could ever be worthy of God’s mercy.Well, that’s a contradiction.Mercy comes, it’s unmerited.But the God of the Bible came to this earth, became a man through the virgin birth.He didn’t cease to be God and because of his love, he was able to pay the penalty for sin that his own infinite justice required and now what do we have to do?He offers to pardon us, but he’s not just going to make a bookkeeping entry in heaven.He can only pardon us if we accept his payment on our behalf for our sins.Now what do you have to do?You just receive it, but you have to acknowledge that you are unworthy.You have to acknowledge that when he took your place it was just that he be punished for you, because this is what we deserve and then we accept the gift of God’s love and grace, and mercy, eternal life, forgiveness, a home in heaven forever.Tom, what could be better?

Tom:

Yes and what’s their option?Their option is to look to Joseph Smith himself, to see whether they are worthy enough to be accepted.Or for the Mormon woman, the wife, for their husbands to bring them forth because of their worthiness.That’s bondage.

Dave:

Brigham Young said no one gets to heaven except with Joseph Smith’s approval.I wouldn’t trust the guy, but that’s a pretty depressing thing as well.I mean Joseph Smith decides for God, this God that created the universe—that’s sad.

Tom:

Dave—what we said earlier, based on somebody’s worthiness.There is something to be depressed about.

Dave:

It really is sad.