“The Demons Made Me Do It”
Jacob R. Weiss, Monica Sharobeam, Justin Faden
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 2024 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000001720 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | The text argues that supernatural beliefs about possession exist on a continuum from overvalued ideas to delusions, and that the line between culturally sanctioned possession and mental illness is blurry; possession may be considered normal in many cultures until it produces severe distress or dysfunction, while delusions of possession involve the belief of being seized by a supernatural entity. |
Abstract
Throughout history, mental illness has often been attributed to witchcraft or possession by malicious entities (Ventriglio et al. , 2018). Current opinions vary but suggest that supernatural beliefs exist on a continuum from overvalued ideas to delusions, and the line between culturally sanctioned possession and mental illness is blurry (Ventriglio et al. , 2018). Many cultures today may consider spiritual possession normal until it renders the victim severely distressed or dysfunctional (Gaw et al. , 1998). In delusions of possession, a person believes that they have been seized by a supernatural entity (Pietkiewicz et al. , 2021).