High rates of depression in Iran

[Dave Darling]

Hi everyone, something interesting- apparently Iran, the islamic republic of Iran, has very high rates of clinical depression, something like 15%-20% of Iranians have symptoms ranging from mild to severe depression. In contrast rates of depression in the USA are around 8.3%, much lower. There is a good reason for this! I think a spiritual force may be responsible for this, Iran is one of the most evil places in the world, also they adhere to a very radical form of Islam and Islam is the official state religion and the country is something like 99.5% muslim, conversion from Islam to Christianity carries the death penalty. Also the Iranian government hates Israel and that also may be a cause for this!

 

[AlexB23]

Hi everyone, something interesting- apparently Iran, the islamic republic of Iran, has very high rates of clinical depression, something like 15%-20% of Iranians have symptoms ranging from mild to severe depression. In contrast rates of depression in the USA are around 8.3%, much lower. There is a good reason for this! I think a spiritual force may be responsible for this, Iran is one of the most evil places in the world, also they adhere to a very radical form of Islam and Islam is the official state religion and the country is something like 99.5% muslim, conversion from Islam to Christianity carries the death penalty. Also the Iranian government hates Israel and that also may be a cause for this!

This is a science thread, not a spiritual warfare thread. Your post could be considered a form of xenophobia, but yeah, theocratic nations are not a good place to live in, especially extremist theocracies such as Iran.

 

[johansen]

maybe the depression is because satan hates them because they hate Israel.

If depression is from the devil then why would he harass his own?

one thing that people like about islam, mormons, and several other religions is that they really do give you a definable purpose, community, common goals, common beliefs, etc. its beautiful really. but, unfortunately wrong.

 

[AlexB23]

maybe the depression is because satan hates them because they hate Israel.

Nah. The reason for depression in Iran is probably because Iran is a country run by a theocratic dictatorship, and dictatorships exist because we live in a fallen world. It is not the devil directly influencing these dictatorships, but human greed and lust for power which fuels autocracy. Not everything in life is directly from spiritual warfare. Some folks even believe disabilities such as autism are directly from demonic influences, when in reality, it is from random genetics and contaminants in the environment such as lead, air pollution and industrial waste. Now the industrial waste stems from greed, and greed stems from the original sin in Genesis, so indirectly, we can say mental illness is a byproduct of Adam & Eve's sin. But we can not say that depression in Iran is triggered by demonic influences. All we can say is that in countries with less freedom, people tend to have poorer mental health.

Here is a scientific journal about mental health vs. freedom indices: National characteristics associated with prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms: a cross-sectional ecological study

 

[johansen]

i take it you didn't understand what i was saying.
let me make it easier for you:
if depression is from satan then why would any non christian be depressed ever?

 

[AlexB23]

i take it you didn't understand what i was saying.
let me make it easier for you:
if depression is from satan then why would any non christian be depressed ever?

Who are you replying to? And depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, social media, news outlets, along with the current state of the world for many people.

 

[johansen]

Who are you replying to? And depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, social media, news outlets, along with the current state of the world for many people.

still not getting it. its ok.

 

[AlexB23]

still not getting it. its ok.

Ok. So, then why did you post? Nobody gets it. This thread started by the OP is xenophobic to average Iranian people. Occam's Barber agrees.

 

[johansen]

This thread started by the OP is xenophobic to average Iranian people

anyone with spiritual ears to hear would see that he is picking on muslims. not specifically iran. its just that we have data for iran.

i'm merely pointing out that if depression is a spiritual illness, why would it affect muslims?....

 

[AlexB23]

anyone with spiritual ears to hear would see that he is picking on muslims. not specifically iran. its just that we have data for iran.

i'm merely pointing out that if depression is a spiritual illness, why would it affect muslims?....

Depression is not a spiritual illness, and impacts all people irrespective of religion. My friend is an atheist, and he has depression.

 

[johansen]

Depression is not a spiritual illness, and impacts all people irrespective of religion. My friend is an atheist, and he has depression.

yes i know that.. that's why i'm pointing out the flaw in OP's presumptions.

 

[AlexB23]

yes i know that.. that's why i'm pointing out the flaw in OP's presumptions.

Amen to that, and now we understand each other. It is good that we have both pointed out the flaws in the OP's post.

 

[Desk trauma]

Hi everyone, something interesting- apparently Iran, the islamic republic of Iran, has very high rates of clinical depression, something like 15%-20% of Iranians have symptoms ranging from mild to severe depression. In contrast rates of depression in the USA are around 8.3%, much lower.

Citation needed.

 

[Laodicean60]

Even though its a protest let the old dude dance.

 

[Shemjaza]

Hi everyone, something interesting- apparently Iran, the islamic republic of Iran, has very high rates of clinical depression, something like 15%-20% of Iranians have symptoms ranging from mild to severe depression. In contrast rates of depression in the USA are around 8.3%, much lower. There is a good reason for this! I think a spiritual force may be responsible for this, Iran is one of the most evil places in the world, also they adhere to a very radical form of Islam and Islam is the official state religion and the country is something like 99.5% muslim, conversion from Islam to Christianity carries the death penalty. Also the Iranian government hates Israel and that also may be a cause for this!

I think a better more consistent explanation is that living in oppressive nations with limitations on speech, dress and beliefs is bad for your physical and mental health.

I'd also want confirmation that the metric for measuring rates of depression in the two nations are accurate and equivalent.

 

[durangodawood]

Why do we need spirits and other mystery forces to explain depression when ordinary oppression and economic hopelessness will do just fine?

 

[The Barbarian]

This is a science thread, not a spiritual warfare thread. Your post could be considered a form of xenophobia, but yeah, theocratic nations are not a good place to live in, especially extremist theocracies such as Iran.

There are people in the U.S. who profess to be Christian, but have the same objectives for us as the mullahs of Iran are imposing on their people. Iran is an excellent demonstration on why we should never establish religion in government.

 

[AlexB23]

There are people in the U.S. who profess to be Christian, but have the same objectives for us as the mullahs of Iran are imposing on their people. Iran is an excellent demonstration on why we should never establish religion in government.

I agree entirely. Religion and government should be two separate things. Freedom of religion is only possible with a separation of church and state.

 

[Stephen3141]

Hi everyone, something interesting- apparently Iran, the islamic republic of Iran, has very high rates of clinical depression, something like 15%-20% of Iranians have symptoms ranging from mild to severe depression. In contrast rates of depression in the USA are around 8.3%, much lower. There is a good reason for this! I think a spiritual force may be responsible for this, Iran is one of the most evil places in the world, also they adhere to a very radical form of Islam and Islam is the official state religion and the country is something like 99.5% muslim, conversion from Islam to Christianity carries the death penalty. Also the Iranian government hates Israel and that also may be a cause for this!

So, you have speculated about what may cause the difference in rates of depression.

If you're going to be a good analyst, can you critique you arguments??
That is, you should address how you could potentially demonstrate that your
arguments are NOT TRUE.

 

[Stephen3141]

Along another line...

If you look at the radical Muslim groups, many of them embrace a foundation
of hating something or someone, and exterminating them, because they
blame that group of person for all the evil/failure in their life.

This METHODOLOGY is not problem-solving, it is rhetorical BLAMING.

Those who live in a culture of rhetorical BLAMING, rarely solve any of the real problems
in their life. And all they do is propagate rage and misunderstanding, generation
after generation. (Hamas in the Gaza Strip, is an example.)

Why shouldn't Muslims who embrace 7th century Islam, NOT be depressed.
They (often) have no place for modern technology, which could radically
raise their level of quality of life. They often reject advanced education as
a tool of Stan, so they do not grasp what human history is, or the major
dynamics of human intellectual effort. When people are not exposed to
the greatest of human thoughts, down through history, they're left with
the rhetorical rage of mullahs, who don't really care about solving practical problems
in everyday life. Why shouldn't they be depressed?

The same is true of anti-intellectual Christian groups, that live off rage and
crude misunderstandings of the huge intellectual Christian heritage.
What do they have to inspire them??? Conspiracy theories?
Rage-filled rioting, in order to bring about "justice"?

There are many similarities between 7th century Islamic groups, and
anti-intellectual Christian groups (who cannot understand or embrace
the hard sciences).