When God Is Not Enough: Religious States Have Highest Rates of Anti-Depressant Use
They say that religion is the opiate of the masses, but it seems that the opiates of the religious are antidepressants.
A study released yesterday confirmed that Mississippi remains the most religious state in the Union, followed by a handful of its southern belt brothers: Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, as well as the Mormon stronghold of Utah. The Gallup poll showed that 58 percent of all Mississippians identify as “very religious.” The least religious states in the U.S. are the former stomping grounds of the very, very religious Puritans: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire.
But life in these highly faithful states doesn’t seem to be all its cracked up to be. The most religious states in the U.S. share another trait: the highest use of anti-depressants.
Utah has long been the nation’s capital of happy pill popping, with its citizens twice as likely to be on anti-depressants than the general U.S. population. But the rest of the observant states aren’t far behind. Of the top-ten most religious states, nine have higher than average use of anti-depressants.
Some states have startlingly medicated populations.
In Utah, Louisiana and Arkansas--the 2nd, 4th and 5th most religious states in the Union-- nearly 20 percent of the population is on some form of anti-depressants, according to a 2006 study by one of the largest prescription companies.
The rest of the highly religious states aren’t far behind. Mississippi (most religious), Alabama (third most religious), South Carolina (6th), Tennessee (7th), North Carolina (8th) and Oklahoma (10th) have above average rates of anti-depressant use, with 15 to 17 percent of the citizens medicated. Of the top-ten most religious states, only one--Georgia--isn’t disproportionately addicted to anti-depressants. Nationally, the prescription rate was about 14 percent.
Anti-depressants weren’t the only medication being doled out in the most religious states. In fact, a state’s level of religiosity correlates with a state’s overall medication rate. Of the top ten most religious states in the Union, six are also on the list of top-ten most medicated states.
http://www.alternet.org/belief/when-god-not-enough-religious-states-have-highest-rates-anti-depressant-use
You've probably read a lot happy horse shit claiming religious people are happier than nonbelievers. This may be true for some religions like Buddhism but it certainly is not true for the believers and the God of Abraham. These people are a mess. There is no mystery here. The Christian God is a cruel and evil God. The Christian God is a tyrant. The Christian God wants us to live miserable unfulfilling lives while we kiss his ass in hopes that we get to spend eternity massaging his insatiable ego. If we don't do all that exactly right this vile and filthy being sends us to burn in hell for all eternity. I can understand why people who believe in this vicious sadistic God need antidepressants.
With fundamentalist Christians needing most of the antidepressants prescribed it's pretty clear that prayer does not work? Not only doesn't prayer work but belief in this tyrannical ego-maniacal being who killed his own son is a major cause of depression.
Facts don't lie. Christians lie!
These suckers go to church like that sheeple lemmings that they are and they believe every word there con men preachers tell them. They are told that faith can move mountains and they believe it so they go home and pray and their prayers do not get answered. They begin to feel guilty and confused and the harder they try the more they fail in their futile petitions to God. Keep down they know that God is evil and that their minister is a liar but they keep waiting for a miracle that will never come. These poor sheep become sadder and sadder. They go to their doctor was more than happy to give them a dangerous drugs like Paxil or Prozac.
They see the use of drugs as a moral failing and to become more depressed so they are given more drugs. It's too bad that never actually read the Bible which is the very pack of lies on which their religion is based. They would not know that God is evil and for them to be happy and healthy getting themselves is far away from the evil that they can is the best thing for them.
Well said.
ReplyDelete