Delusion, possession and religion†.
Nordic Journal of Psychiatry September 1, 2018 Antonio Ventriglio, Iris Bonfitto, Fabiana Ricci et al.
Religion and psychiatry both address the unknown, meaning, and healing, but their border is contested. Religious beliefs can shape behavior and may lie on a continuum with overvalued ideas and delusions. Possession states appear in psychiatric and religious categories, with research literature and cultural groups describing overlap. Studies suggest possible factors for differentiating schizophrenia from demonic influence and report on exorcism's efficacy among possessed or psychotic subjects. Diagnostic criteria have been proposed for dissociative trance disorder or possession disorder. Mental health professionals and religious believers may need criteria to distinguish adaptive from maladaptive religious experiences.