This documentary was quite inspirational to me for a variety of reasons. First, I was impressed by the sheer bravery it took to undertake such a project. The filmmakers were exploring an issue that remains difficult for many Church members to talk about. There was even a certain amount of controversy surrounding the distribution of this film as well. The subjects portrayed, though, are truly the heroes (or heroines) of the piece. I can't imagine how much it must have taken for these women to tell their tragic, moving, and inspiring stories for all the world to see.
Secondly, I believe that this film is the best example of what can happen when Christian (read: also Mormon) values meet real world (read: Telestial) problems. This is the Atonement in action. This is forgiveness, love, opposition, suffering, pain, improvement, mercy, kindness, etc. The most emotional moment of the film for me came as one woman described how her testimony of the eternal nature of her marriage and family ultimately saved her life. She talked about how her husband had refused to give up on her even in the depths of her depression and I'm hard-pressed to think of any better example of Christlike love in any other film I've seen. Yes, it's tough to face the "harsh truth." But this is what I think will really inspire us.
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What bothers me about the whole "Mormon women and depression" concept is that so many people outside the church (or those who have left) assume that Mormon women are depressed because the church is oppressive and sexist. I am a Mormon woman, and I went through a period of severe depression, and it had NOTHING to do with the church or the gospel. In fact, it was the gospel that ultimately saved me.
It also begs the question of whether depression is higher in Utah simply because Mormons tend not to self-medicate and it happens to be more diagnosed. Many people also conveniently dismiss the Valium abuse epidemic of the 70s and 80s, when it was the drug of choice for hundreds of thousands of "desperate housewives", not Mormon women.
I'm grateful you raised the idea of the healing power of the Atonement, because isn't that what the gospel is all about?
Oh no! I posted an educated opinion! I've sinned! Back to my oppressed existence. ;)
Women who take oral contraceptives are highly vulnerable to depression. As per a recent study, women who take oral contraceptives are twice as likely to develop depression as compared to those women who do not take oral contraceptives. Almost all the antidepressants, like xanax have side-effects. And depression can be said to be a side-effect of the oral contraceptive pills.
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