The relationship between religion and schizophrenia is of particular interest to psychiatry because of the similarity between religious experience and manifestations of the disease; Religious experiences are often accompanied by auditory and / or visual hallucinations , and schizophrenic patients usually experience similar hallucinations, along with ideas that are usually considered modern medicine as delusional [1] . In general, it is noted that religion can both serve as a protective mechanism in case of a disease, and aggravate its course [2] .
Typically, people with schizophrenia demonstrate the type of religious beliefs that many doctors consider delusional — for example, believing that they are gods or prophets , talking to gods, feeling they are possessed by demons, etc. [3] Active and adaptive coping skills diseases in patients with residual schizophrenia are associated with a healthy spiritual, religious or personal belief system. In a study of patients with schizophrenia who underwent hospitalization, 24% showed symptoms that are qualified in psychiatric literature as “religious nonsense.”
Intercultural studies have shown that religious beliefs, often without real grounds, are much more common in schizophrenic patients who classify themselves as Christians and / or live in predominantly Christian regions, for example, in Europe or North America [4] . For comparison, patients in Japan are much more likely to have delusional disorders associated with shame and slander [4] , while in Pakistan more often there is paranoia associated with relatives and neighbors [5] .
Content
General Information
Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder , the symptoms of which include the dulling of emotions (the flattening of affect ), reduced intelligence, social isolation, disorganization of speech and behavior, delusions and hallucinations. The causes of schizophrenia are unclear, but it seems that heredity plays a crucial role, since people with a family history of the disease suffer from schizophrenia more often [6] . The disorder can be caused and exacerbated by social and environmental factors, and in stressful situations, the disease is more pronounced. According to the discoveries of neurologists, the brain of schizophrenic patients has larger ventricles (cavities filled with fluid) compared with healthy brains. . It is assumed that this is due to the death of nerve cells. Symptoms usually appear at the beginning of the period of maturity. In children, schizophrenia is rarely diagnosed, in part because of the difficulty in determining what specific deviations in thinking and behavior are caused by — the disease or the developmental characteristics of the child. With the help of psychiatric drugs (usually antipsychotic ) and appropriate therapy, patients with schizophrenia can lead a successful and fruitful life.
The role of religion in the treatment of schizophrenia
Long-term studies have shown that religion affects the therapy of schizophrenia to varying degrees. Apparently, religion can serve as an aid in combating a disorder, as well as a significant obstacle to recovery [7] . Religion can be a very valuable tool in the fight against disease, especially for those who are actively involved in the life of a religious community. However, it is not easy to distinguish genuine transcendental experience from manifestation of the disease. This requires the help of a qualified and experienced specialist. Provided that the doctor is not against the use of religious methods in treatment, and the patient is also not against it and receives the indicated treatment, it is quite possible to combine religion with professional medical care to achieve the desired goal. Persons who are actively involved in the life of a religious community and perform daily religious practices while receiving psychiatric treatment show fewer symptoms and an overall improvement in the quality of life. They learn to see religion not as a duty, but as a source of hope.
Religion as the cause of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia can be caused by a variety of environmental factors, including stress, strong emotions and various traumatic experiences. . In some cases, the cause of the disease may be the religion itself; Religious images are often quite bizarre and contradict generally accepted knowledge about the real world. Intense religious experience can provoke psychosis in persons prone to this, because religion often requires the believer to act contrary to common sense and everyday ideas about the possible and the impossible. This can lead to psychosis due to a shift in realistic thinking; the patient may believe that he is speaking to God, or he is himself a deity or a messiah . These symptoms can cause cruelty to both the patient’s environment and to himself, as literal reading of sacred texts is typical of patients. Sometimes patients think that the disease is sent to them from above as a punishment - in this case they may experience more symptoms that cause suffering. Religion, depending on how the patient treats it, can constrain its actions and cause harm, since the patient may refuse treatment for religious reasons; in some cases, he may believe that his delusions and hallucinations are in fact divine revelations , and on the basis of this he refuses treatment. Studies show that people with schizophrenia who have delusions of religious content are more deeply religious than those who are not subject to this kind of ideas [8] . Also, according to studies, such patients are less likely to continue long-term therapy.
See also
- Paranoid schizophrenia
- Jerusalem syndrome
- Religious experience
- False Christ
Literature
- V.E. Pashkovsky. Mental disorders with religious and mystical experiences: A brief guide for doctors . - SPb. : SPbMAPO Publishing House, 2006. - 144 p. - ISBN 5-98037-058-7 .
- A. A. Portnov, M. I. Shakhnovich. Psychoses and religion. - L .: " Medicine ", 1967. - 96 p.
Notes
- ↑ Murray, ED .; Cunningham MG; Price BH (2012). [doi: 10.1176 / appi.neuropsych.11090214. PMID 23224447 . "The role of psychotic disorders in religious history is considered" J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neuroscience. 24 (4): 410-26.] (English) .
- ↑ Gearing, Robin Edward, Dana Alonzo, Alex Smolak, Katie McHugh, Sherelle Harmon, and Susanna Baldwin. "Association of Religions with delusions and hallucinations in the context of schizophrenia: Implications for engagement and adherence." (Eng.) // Schizophrenia research 126 ,. - 2011. - № 1 . - p. 150-163. .
- ↑ Siddle, Ronald; Haddock, Gillian; Tarrier, Nicholas; Faragher, E. Brian. [doi: 10.1007 / s001270200005. PMID 11990010 . "Religious delusions in patients with schizophrenia".] (English) // Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology .. - No. 37 (3) . - pp. 130–138. .
- ↑ 1 2 Tateyama M, Asai M, Hashimoto M, Bartels M, Kasper S (1998). [doi: 10.1159 / 000029025. PMID 9561549 "Transcultural study of schizophrenic delusions. Tokyo versus Vienna and Tübingen (Germany)".] (Eng.) // Psychopathology. - No. 31 (2) . - p . 59–68 .
- ↑ Stompe T, Friedman A, Ortwein G, Strobl R, Chaudhry HR, Najam N, Chaudhry MR. [doi: 10.1159 / 000029094. PMID 10494061 "Comparison of Austria and in Pakistan".] (English) // Psychopathology. - 1999. - No. 32 (5) . - p . 225–34 .
- ↑ van Os, J; Kapur, S. [doi: 10.1016 / S0140-6736 (09) 60995-8. PMID 19700006 . "Schizophrenia"] (English) // Lancet .. - (2009-08-22). - No. 374 (9690) . - p . 635–45 .
- ↑ Mohr, S. [doi: 10.1176 / appi.ajp.163.11.1952. "Toward the Spiritual Dimension of Schizophrenia".] (English) // American Journal of Psychiatry .. - (1 November 2006) .. - No. 163 (11) . - p . 1952-1959 .
- ↑ Mohr, Sylvia; Borras, Laurence; Rieben, Isabelle; Betrisey, Carine; Gillieron, Christiane; Brandt, Pierre-Yves; Perroud, Nader; Huguelet, Philippe. [doi: 10.1007 / s00127-009-0151-0. "Evolution of spirituality and religious disorders in a chronic schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorders: a 3-year follow-up study"] (English) // Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology .. - (11 October 2009). - No. 45 (11) . - p. 1095–1103. .