Religious Pre-occupation - by Toluse Dove Francis
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With this article, I will commence weekly writing that will focus on mental illness/mental health conditions from a different perspective. It will be special writing which will require a monthly token. Welcome to Learning Wednesday
Religion has become a major decider of the kind of decisions people make when it comes to their mental health and in fact a lot of times healthcare generally. In truth, there is what we call religious delusion and I will give an explanation shortly.
Individuals experiencing religious delusions are preoccupied with religious subjects that are not within the expected beliefs for an individual's background, including culture, education, and known experiences of religion. These preoccupations are incongruous with the mood of the subject.
Is religion a form of delusion?
In clinical practice, no clear guidelines exist to distinguish between "normal" religious beliefs and "pathological" religious delusions. Historically, psychiatrists such as Freud have suggested that all religious beliefs are delusional, while the current DSM-IV definition of delusion exempts religious doctrine from pathology altogether.
Poser: What do you believe and why do you believe what you believe?
In schizophrenia, for example, delusion is a major sign and it could sometimes come with religious delusion.
For many people, religion is one way that we understand the world and give meaning to our lives and certainly, religion and spirituality play an important part in many people’s experiences of schizophrenia. For some sufferers religious delusions or intense religiously-based irrational thinking may be a component of their symptoms, for instance, they may believe that they have been sent by God to become a great prophet.
However, for other people, religion and spirituality play an important role in their recovery process. They may find that their spiritual beliefs and practices help them to make sense of the world in a way that they could not when they were suffering from psychotic delusions and that membership of a supportive faith community provides vital fellowship when faced with the everyday problems of living with a serious mental health condition.
It is often said that a person experiencing the first stages of serious schizophrenia is more likely to go to see a priest than a psychiatrist.
This is because the delusions suffered by people with schizophrenia often have religious content. Sufferers may believe that they are a saint, a prophet, or God himself, (which is more common in men), or (in women) that they are a saint or are pregnant with the Messiah.
How common are religious delusions in schizophrenia?
Various studies have found that the prevalence of religious delusions in schizophrenia is very high. Whatever the figures may be for an individual country it is clearly a trait that is very common in schizophrenia and psychiatrists encounter it so frequently that they have come up with a name for it: religiosity or religious preoccupation.
In days of old and many societies in the developing world today, mental health and spirituality are seen to be closely related. Indeed the Greek word “psyche” from which we derive our terms psychologist and psychotherapy originally meant the soul or spirit.
Excessive religious observance is often the first sign that relatives see that something is amiss. Visiting churches too frequently, praying continuously, and fasting (sufferers may often lose excessive amounts of weight) when there has been no previous interest in religious activities are often a sign that something is seriously wrong.
Let me wrap up by telling you what Schizophrenia is:
A disorder that affects a person's ability to think, feel and behave clearly.
The exact cause of schizophrenia isn't known, but a combination of genetics, environment, and altered brain chemistry and structure may play a role.
Schizophrenia is characterized by thoughts or experiences that seem out of touch with reality, disorganized speech or behavior and decreased participation in daily activities. Difficulty with concentration and memory may also be present.
Treatment is usually lifelong and often involves a combination of medications, psychotherapy and coordinated specialty care services.
Poser: So how does religion affect mental health?
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