Spiritual possession phenomenon (SPP) is a complex syndrome found across cultures and diagnoses, where patients feel controlled by a spirit, demon, or other entity. Current disease classifications do not clearly distinguish SPP as a separate mental disorder or specify its treatment. This review analyzed scientific studies on SPP in mature adults, searching databases from the 1800s to present. The authors conclude that psychiatric views on SPP have shifted over time but remain unresolved. SPP is a challenging multidisciplinary problem needing further interdisciplinary study, detailed clinical analysis, and a definitive place in psychiatry.
In patients with depression, religious distress can mask underlying mental disorders, leading to delayed diagnosis and increased suicide risk. Among 115 patients (41 men, 74 women) with depression and religious distress—38 with affective disorders and 77 with schizophrenia—five types of depression were identified, with melancholic depression most common (61%). Religious experiences varied: congruent guilt and sinfulness, loss of living faith and God-forsakenness, overvalued doubts about faith choice, and spiritual hypochondria. Because religious content obscures the disorder, early diagnosis and specific treatment approaches are needed to prevent severe outcomes including suicidal activity.
Russian psychiatrists from the 19th century onward examined the link between religion and mental illness, studying conditions like religious delusion, demon possession, and 'hysterics' with religious themes. D.E. Melekhov, a founder of social psychiatry, viewed religious faith as a key personal resource for rehabilitation. However, distinguishing non-pathological religious experience from mental disorders with religious content remains poorly understood. The literature indicates that a psychiatrist's precise knowledge of patients' religious lives is essential for effective therapeutic relationships.