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Home > Mormon Stories - LDS > 644: Missionaries Pt. 2 – Sage Dalton and Depression, Faith Crisis, Suicidality
Podcast: Mormon Stories - LDS
Episode:

644: Missionaries Pt. 2 – Sage Dalton and Depression, Faith Crisis, Suicidality
Category: Religion & Spirituality
Duration: 00:51:59
Publish Date: 2016-08-08 19:07:42
Description:

Sage Dalton was a graduate of Dartmouth University and a regular listener to Mormon Stories podcast when she decided to serve an LDS mission in 2012. Towards the latter half of her mission Sage began to experience depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, due in part to a culture of perfectionism within Mormonism, along with doubts she began to experience as a missionary (primarily around LGBT and historical issues). When Sage informed her mission president of her depressive symptoms, he allowed her only three visits to a talk therapist.

Over time on her mission, Sage began to experience significant suicidal ideation, and on the final month of her mission was self-admitted to a psychiatric behavioral health unit/hospital.  After her stay in the hospital, Sage decided that she no longer believed the church to be true, and terminated her mission service early (a few weeks shy of completion). While the LDS church attempted to make her parents pay her hospital bills while a missionary, her parents declined and threatened to sue the church if they continued with such insistences.

Eventually Sage decided to leave the LDS church, and has experienced significant improvement in her mental health, and elimination of her suicidality, as a result of this decision.  At present, Sage is engaged to be married and works as a nurse at Planned Parenthood in California.
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