A family friend has been out on his mission about 4 months...
 

I heard today that he was coming home -- I was quickly assured, though, that it was for medical reasons and was "honorable". It turns out he is suffering from depression. Is this becoming an epidemic? When I was a missionary we didn't have that out, and my mission was pretty depressing. I don't think anyone goes through a two year mission without being depressed every now and again. I thought today's kids were all supposed to be valiant warriors in the pre-existence. How come they're so soft now?

It does seem strange that so many young people can be diagnosed to be clinically depressed. In our day, that diagnosis was uncommon, but it seems almost commonplace.

My service occurred in a country where one taught almost no investigators, experienced virtually no baptisms, and walked around in cold, wet weather all day long. Yes, there were depressing days, but you toughed that aspect out. Kids today can be a bit wimpy.

Non-seq, Those of us who served in Guayaquil, Ecuador and didn't get depressed have an iron constitution.

Constant 80% humidity with 90 degree heat. No hot water. Raw sewage running down the street. Got robbed 3 times. It was paradise.

We lost a couple during my mission. They never called it depression back then though. They always referred to it as a "chemical imbalance".

The real question is, is someone born depressed, or is it a choice?

My guess is that while there may be some wimps who want to go home, there's enough shame involved in returning that those who do are legit. Missions are also the age that many psychiatric disorders first appear. Take it easy on people, depression isn't a sign of moral weakness.

BS, these are kids who grew up being given trophies for "participating" on soccer teams from ages 4 to 12. Didn't matter that they lost every game.

This is the generation whose sense of entitlement comes from being molly coddled their entire lives. Their parents ran to their defense every time an elementary school teacher didn't give them straight "A"s and perfect citizenship marks.

These kids now think they are entitled to a life devoid of pressure, challenge and obstacles. They're soft. They want their mom when the going gets a little tough.

Quit making excuses for them danimal. Let me guess, danimal is under 30 years of age.

You really believe that depression is caused by giving trophies to kids who don't win soccer games? You're a regular mental health expert.

Sadly, many people suffer from mental illness and are stigmatized into feeling like crap because of folks like you.

Mental illness is serious, but it appears depression is thrown around loosely to excuse any time somebody feels badly for himself. As malapert stated, many of these are simply, coddled and soft middle class kids who can't hack it.

Sure, we all get the blues and feel down sometimes. After a short time and some bucking up, we usually feel better. Major Depression is different. People who have never had it don't seem to realize this.

Clinical depression, both temporary and permanent is serious, but it's rare for twenty year old males to suffer it in the proportions that we're seeing in terms of elders coming home. If they want to say, it sucked and I didn't like it, I'd be better with that than, dummying a phony medical excuse.

Maybe. The only ones I've seen go home were pretty severe cases -- many suicidal. Assuming that going home for depression is pretty ungenerous.

In my mission, nobody went home during the entire time I served. In my ward, we have had several coddled boys who came home, claiming depression but when I inquired if the kids are now medicated, the parents have responded "oh, no, it went away."

Except in rare cases of extreme temporary clinical depression, it doesn't just "go away."

It was unduly harsh but I also agree. It is epidemic in this generation. Unfortunately in my experience teaching this age group depression and an accute inability to handle too much stress is more an excuse than real. This same generation brings their parents to college to argue with professors over grades!

While I am extremely sympathetic to emotional problems suffered by many I parrot Adam when he says; deal with and do your duty.

You are correct -it doesn't just go away.

I agree that major depression doesn't just up and go away; however, to group all people who come home with depression as being slackers is very stigmatizing and unfair to people with serious problems.

The lifetime prevalence rate is 5-12% for men. It shouldn't be surprising that several from every mission go home because of it.

actually people with a first episode of major depression, 50% will not have another episode.

I didn't see danimal deny being under 30 years of age.

You are incorrect.

But, I'd bet I am within 5 years.

The facts of mental illness exist independently of my age.

Most of you are truly whistling in the wind on this topic. No one has yet gotten into the zip code of what is really going one here.

Mmmmmm....sounds rather sinister. Do tell.

You're not implying lads are coming home due to being unworthy, and instead calling it "depressive disorder"?

The numbers returning due to "depression" are staggering. And, if treated, depressive disorder individuals can lead normal lives thereby eliminating the concept they should return and vegetate at home.

The kid is a BYU athlete?

That sounds depressing. Where did you serve?

The kids in my mission who get sent home all went home for good reasons like fornicating in the chapel.

If a kid wants to go home, I say send him home asap. No point in having him out there wasting time and money, or worse.

And the Spirit is telling to get back to the playing field? Well that's a whole different issue and it appears he is inspired to a higher calling.

A bit wimpy?! That's the understatement of the century. I'd say they're a bunch of pussies.

Agree with what you say regarding they way depression is thrown around these days.

Real mental illness though, is serious. Bipolar disorder, or manic depression....this is something that does need medical attention. I have seen its effects on people first hand, and in severe cases the person acts like a completely different person. There is no way someone just snaps out of something like this simply by coming home from a mission.

"Other bipolar disorder symptoms
In addition, some people with bipolar disorder have rapid cycling bipolar disorder. This is the occurrence of four or more mood swings within 12 months. These moods shifts can occur rapidly, sometimes within just hours. In mixed state bipolar disorder, symptoms of both mania and depression occur at the same time.

Severe episodes of either mania or depression may result in psychosis, or a detachment from reality. Symptoms of psychosis may include hearing or seeing things that aren't there (hallucinations) and false but strongly held beliefs (delusions). "

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bip...356/DSECTION=2

I think there are a few inherent problems to missions that don't really allow for depression to be correctly addressed.

1. Resources - For some reason, there hasn't been much of an investment in the overall mental health and welfare of the missionaries (my opinion). In the MTC, a missionary is likely to get one, maybe two meetings with a "counselor" (if you can call them that) and then subsequently put on medication. In reality, the medication is only half the battle when dealing with depression.

2. Time - The mission president simply does not have time to deal with missionaries dealing with depression. As such, the missionaries don't get the right amount of treatment to give themselves a shot at getting better.

3. Schedule - The missionary schedule does not allow for a missionary to properly "heal" from the health related problems that he or she can face when dealing with depression. Depression can run the gambit of health impacts from not eating to not sleeping to everything in between. Depression is not something that someone who is dealing with can just "get over."

If I were to add a fourth, it would be that there is in fact a generational problem that leads to a lack of understanding by mission presidents, parents, family members, of the true impact of depression on a young person, particularly a missionary. Some parents think that since President Hinckley's father told him to "unpack your suitcase and go to work," that that should work for their child...maybe he'll become prophet some day.

Depression is really an individual case by case basis. Are there some looking for the easy way out? Probably. But for those who actually have problems, it is a serious issue, and if you think that for one second, that Elder or Sister would rather come home because it is "easy" just to face the social pressure and judgments of other members who think they are "pussies" then you've got another thing coming. Nobody wants to face coming home to an unsupportive ward or family...and that just compounds the problem and is likely to cause more depression.

It's a vicious and very real problem.

I'd summarize what I'm reading here as
1) depression is real in missionaries, and
2) it is sometimes "mis-diagnosed" to cover up general whimpiness.

I agree with this sentiment. I think a whole bunch of the "new mental health diseases" (ADHD, depression, autism, sexual and gambling addiction, to name a few) are to some degree created by the mental health experts to give themselves more clients and hence more money. To a large degree, it seems that today, kids are raised with a serious disconnect with the reality that life is a struggle, and parents think it is their duty to protect their kids from any misfortune or hard edges. P.J. O'Rourke refers to this as the "whiffle life" in his book "Parliament of Whores". (Which is very entertaining political satire, BTW). And these parents love their kids, so don't EVER accuse them of not being good parents. Their kid has <name your disease>, that is the problem.

This does not, however, invalidate that there really is something wrong in some, maybe even a majority, of these cases. And since I rarely have enough information to make an informed judgment of a particular case, I tend to assume that the above applies sometimes in a general sense, but in individual cases, I try to assume <name your disease> is real.

If they were living all the mission rules and were praying sincerely, they would have no problems with depression. If you do what the leaders tell you, all will be well.

I am gratified to learn that the stigma of mentall illness is now less than the stigma of coming home early.

That's progress for acceptance of mental illness.

Can you be single and still be a mission president? You make it so simple to understand that I think you would do a great job.

No. Who would use the Spirit to tell the Elders to keep their apartments clean?

The very foundation and structure of the church would fall apart if the idea was floated around that older single men are people that can be looked up to.

They don't allow people who say they will give a person a hot dog and then don't do so, to be mission presidents.