Obeah, duppy and your health - Part II - Mental illness or demon possession?

The man climbed to the top of the tall building and jumped. He survived but suffered severe injuries and was able to tell his story. He reported that he had been hearing voices. These were the voices of two women who commented on everything he did. He said he felt tormented and one day one of the voices commanded him to climb the building and jump.

I am sure you have seen and heard mentally ill people talking and laughing to themselves as if having a conversation with someone else. I often treat patients who report that they are taken over by forces that try to control them and that these forces control their thoughts and actions.

Chemical reaction in the brain

What is the problem with these individuals? Is it that they are possessed by demons or spirits, or is it that they have a mental illness? These cases are not real patients but their stories are similar to many people I have treated over the years. The reality is that mental illness can affect someone to the extent that it could appear as demon possession. We know that the cause of these problems is a chemical reaction in the brain and that with treatment, most people either recover or are able to control their symptoms. Clearly, if these were cases of demon possession, medication could not treat or control these conditions.

Hearing voices, seeing things

How do we explain what is happening to these people? Many people behave the way they do because they are having hallucinations. Hallucinations involve hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and feeling things that are not real.

The voices may be commenting on the person's behaviour, cursing the person, or commanding the person to do things as it did to the man who jumped from the building.

Hallucinations may occur in conditions such as schizophrenia and dementia. Drugs such as cocaine and marijuana may cause some people to have hallucinations. Many people see objects and people that others are not able to see. I recall once visiting an old lady who had dementia and she was using a towel to chase people out of her room.

There was nobody else in the room.

False beliefs

Another experience that some people may have is that of delusions. Delusions are fixed, false beliefs. Delusions of persecution could lead people to believe that they are possessed. They believe that they are being followed, spied upon, or secretly listened to. Such individuals often accuse the neighbours of spying on them. They may accuse person of planting cameras in their houses or placing listening devices around them.

Delusions of being controlled is another common type of delusion. These people report that their thoughts, beliefs, and actions are controlled by outside forces. They may report that others are able to plant thoughts in their heads and their thoughts can be heard by other people.

It not surprising that persons having these experiences could be perceived as being demon possessed. The reality is that these experiences do occur in mental disorders. If you know someone who may be having these experiences, we encourage you to contact your local mental-health professional or health-care provider, as these conditions are treatable.

Dr Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and head, Section of Psychiatry, Dept Of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.