[Psychopathology and phenomenology of religious delusion of possession in schizophrenia].
G I Kopeyko, O A Borisova, E V Gedevani
Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova 2018 DOI: 10.17116/jnevro20181184130-35 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational follow-up study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 13 |
| Population | Patients with religious delusion of possession |
| Duration | Follow-up from 1994 to 2016 |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Delusional possession Psychopathology Religiosity Religious delusions Schizophrenia |
| Key findings | The authors report that hallucinations of a general feeling are the crucial psychopathological phenomenon in states with religious delusion of possession, linked with other delusional disorders, delusional defensive behavior, haptic and olfactory hallucinations, depressive disorders, and suicidal activity. Most cases began with circular bipolar affective disorders rather than the classic hallucinatory type of paranoid schizophrenia, and outcomes of manifest psychosis were mostly unfavorable. |
Abstract
To analyze psychopathological features of religious delusion of possession, determine the place of this phenomenon in psychotic syndrome, and identify the prognosis and dynamics of schizophrenia due to this disorder. Thirteen patients with religious delusion of possession were examined in 1994-2016 by psychopathological and follow-up methods. Hallucinations of a general feeling are the crucial psychopathological phenomenon of states with religious delusion of possession. Other delusional disorders (delusion of possession itself or metamorphosis - 'reincarnation in a demon', delusions of spoilage, witchcraft or hypochondriacal delusion) and delusional behavior (special forms of defense), haptic, olfactory hallucinations, and affective (depressive) disorders, suicidal activity are connected with this phenomena. Disease course is either continuous or attack-like. The type of disease course in most cases is complied with the development of stereotype of paranoid schizophrenia. A characteristic feature of disease was the combination of psychopathological disorders, reflecting the continuous nature of the endogenous disease (interpretive delusions, overvalued religious constructions) with disorders, that are more representative for the paroxysmal course (the phenomena of acute sensual delusions, expressed affective disorders), at the manifest stage of the disease. However, in most cases, unlike the classical hallucinatory type of paranoid schizophrenia, the disease began with circular bipolar affective disorders. In most cases, outcome of a manifesting psychosis is unfavorable.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Visual Phenomenology of the LSD Flashback Persons with a history of LSD use | 1983 | Observational cohort | n = 123 |
| The neurophenomenology of neutral hypnosis. Individuals of high, medium, and low hypnotizability | 2013 | Observational cohort | n = 37 |
| The Phenomenology of Acute Organic Psychosis Patients with acute organic psychosis and acute schizophrenics | 1987 | Observational cohort | n = 148 |
| EEG oscillatory states as neuro-phenomenology of consciousness as revealed from patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states. Brain-damaged patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy-conscious subjects | 2012 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- The role of culture on the phenomenology of hallucinations and delusions, explanatory models, and help-seeking attitudes: A narrative review. Early Intervention in Psychiatry September 1, 2023
- See no evil, hear no evil? the role of psychiatry in exorcism Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine December 26, 2025
- [Evolution of views on the phenomenon of spiritual possession within the framework of psychiatric pathology (psychopathological, transnosological and transcultural aspects)]. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova 2024