Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it hard to:
Schizophrenia is characterized by two families of symptoms:
- disorganized dimension - disorganized speech and behavior
Having Schizophrenia may very well explain some cases of demonic possession because it shares many similar characteristics that are used to identify if a person is possessed.
A term coined as "Folie a Deux" ( shared psychosis) explains a condition in which an individual develops a delusion while in a close relationship with another person who already has an established delusion; the delusion is of the same content for each individual. This rare psychotic disorder explains why people close to the "possessed" individual report similar hallucinations or delusions experienced by the "possessed". According to the DSM - IV, two or more people that share the same delusion act as each others support system in one another's belief. Also, there are temporal or contextual evidence that the shared psychosis is induced in the passive member just by contact with the active member.
Hence, a person that is suffering from severe hallucinations may receive more reinforcements about their belief as those close to them develop the same belief system. It then becomes a belief support system in which they all have a shared psychosis and the "possessed" individual delves in deeper into the idea of being possessed by a supernatural being.
(http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/293107-overview).
- Tell the difference between what is real and not real
- Think clearly
- Have normal emotional responses
- Act normally in social situations
Schizophrenia is characterized by two families of symptoms:
- positive ( symptoms in excess of normal behaviour)
- disorganized dimension - disorganized speech and behavior
- negative (symptoms deficit of normal functioning behavior )
Having Schizophrenia may very well explain some cases of demonic possession because it shares many similar characteristics that are used to identify if a person is possessed.
A term coined as "Folie a Deux" ( shared psychosis) explains a condition in which an individual develops a delusion while in a close relationship with another person who already has an established delusion; the delusion is of the same content for each individual. This rare psychotic disorder explains why people close to the "possessed" individual report similar hallucinations or delusions experienced by the "possessed". According to the DSM - IV, two or more people that share the same delusion act as each others support system in one another's belief. Also, there are temporal or contextual evidence that the shared psychosis is induced in the passive member just by contact with the active member.
Hence, a person that is suffering from severe hallucinations may receive more reinforcements about their belief as those close to them develop the same belief system. It then becomes a belief support system in which they all have a shared psychosis and the "possessed" individual delves in deeper into the idea of being possessed by a supernatural being.
(http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/293107-overview).