Accused of Witchcraft

[Meylis Delano Lawrence]

Hi everybody!
I just read this story of a girl called Jennifer who suffered from mental illness. I though I should share it with you to hear your comments on it.

Accused of Witchcraft

Hi. My name is Jennifer and I was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder 10 years ago. I was 19 when I was first diagnosed with schizophrenia, and was admitted to a mental institution. Life has been a battle for me since I was 17, but it has also been very good much of the time and I feel blessed about that. I believe that my faith in God is what has kept me going, and saved my life, and still does, as well as some wonderful friends in my life who motivate me and keep me going. I also know that medication is imperative to leading a normal productive life, and I thank God for it and for the doctors who understand.

When I was 21, I was very unwell, and my mother was beside herself trying to help, but she didn't believe in medication; so she was talking to one of her cousins who told my mother that I wasn't sick, but that I was possessed by demons. She came up from Detroit, USA to visit her family, and while she was visiting, she came over to my mom's house and tried to cast the demons out of me. She also said I wouldn't need medication anymore, so I listened to her and went off it. All that happened was that I became worse, and then everyone blamed it on me. I even jumped in the freezer downstairs to hide from them. They also looked through my room, and took all the things in my room that meant a lot to me, that they felt were given to me by relatives in my life who were involved in witchcraft, and burned them. I was upset about that, but I was too sick to even really care at that point.

Once I got back on my medication, I did feel a lot better again, and I went to college for the first time. I was very happy about that, and I did very well for quite a while.

It took me a long time to stop believing that I was evil or something, but I know now that I am not possessed by demons, and neither are other people who are plagued with mental illness. It's just a condition and people are ignorant, or they can't understand, because they haven't experienced what we have. Presently, I am going to college for upgrading, and I plan to take Early Childhood Education in September. I am doing great right now!
...
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p.s I can imagine what she's been through because of it.

[Mister Agenda]

Good for her, she seems able to make the best of a bad situation. I can't think of any effective way to deal with the situation she was in but to get out of it.

[Autumnlicious]

. I believe that my faith in God is what has kept me going, and saved my life, ...
...

Once I got back on my medication, I did feel a lot better again, and I went to college for the first time. I was very happy about that, and I did very well for quite a while.

Gee, the assholes who burnt her stuff believed their faith in God ordered them to do the same.

But hey, the medication worked too.

Just not enough.

[KichigaiNeko]

You know someone close Meylis?

I joke about "witchcraft" and forget how superstitious some humans really still are. At least that poor girl didn't get stoned to death.


Thanks for sharing.

[Meylis Delano Lawrence]

You know someone close Meylis?

I joke about "witchcraft" and forget how superstitious some humans really still are. At least that poor girl didn't get stoned to death.


Thanks for sharing.

Not really, I read it online.
She surely is lucky. I read another story about Albinos in Africa. Apparently, Albino hands are considered to be lucky, so people cut their arms and legs without any painkilling medication with simple tools like knives and saw. Can you believe that? And it 2013.

P.S You’ve picked a good “religious views:” comment. It’s funny.

[Angrboda]

My partner and I were doing outreach work in the 90s, and she had just given a beautiful talk to a church audience about the nature of mental illness and treatment and such. Then the preacher thanked her and got up and made some comment to the congregation about being understanding in helping these people exorcise the demons that possess them. So, face, palm.