Is it possible that schizophrenia was indeed associated with an evil spirit that had infiltrated a person? Turkish researcher Kemal Irmak has been studying this issue for several years and, as a result, is leaning towards a positive answer. Recently, his article appeared in the German scientific journal Journal of Religion and Health, in which Irmak presented the results of his work.
The first two thirds of the article "Schizophrenia or Obsession?" they are no different from any other scientific article - they describe in detail the personality-destroying symptoms of schizophrenia, modern methods of treatment, types of delusional states and hallucinations. And then the part begins, which is not very usual for serious scientific work:
- One approach to the problem of hallucinations is to recognize the possibility of the existence of the demon world.
Such a transition from pure science to mysticism could not be perceived by the scientific community without skepticism and ridicule. The author probably understands this, but continues to develop his thought:
- Among the people of our region, demons are considered to be invisible beings with intelligence, inhabiting a world parallel to ours, human. In many ways, these creatures are like us. They get married, have children and die.
True, their life expectancy is much higher than ours. Due to their ability to fly and be invisible to our eyes, they have become the main components of occult rituals. The ability to infiltrate a person, to subordinate his body and mind to their will give them power, which they have been using for many centuries.
Many scientists recognized that demons can take over a person and exist inside his physical body. There can be many reasons why evil spirits enter people. Sometimes a person accidentally does something that infuriates the demon. But it also happens that obsession, on the contrary, comes from love. When a demon invades a human body, he takes control of the system that connects the body to the brain.
The researcher then draws the line between schizophrenia and obsession:
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- There are similarities between the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia and demonic possession. Common symptoms include delusional states and hallucinations. These symptoms may be due to the demon's proximity to the brain, which can form false interpretations of the actual perceived picture. Auditory hallucinations, when a patient hears two or more voices arguing with each other and talking about the person himself in the third person, may indicate possession by more than one demon at the same time.
Then Irmak describes an incident from the life of one representative of the local religion, who asked one “good” demon to take over in himself in order to expel several “evil” ones, thanks to which he was healed. Based on such stories, Irmak comes to the following conclusion:
“The time has come when medical professionals should begin to consider the likelihood of demonic possession in the treatment of schizophrenia, especially in cases where the illness is accompanied by hallucinations and delusions. Perhaps, for best results, healthcare providers should involve religious healers in the treatment of this kind of ailment.
The editor-in-chief of the Journal of Religion and Health, which published this controversial material, felt it necessary to add his comment:
“We published this article in the hope of starting a discussion,” he wrote. - The editors of the magazine do not share the author's opinion about the reality of the existence of demons.