Is there a link between mental illness and evil spirits?

Why then does all my research sugest otherwise? I have gathered evidence from many sources. It is true when you say evil spirits do not cause schizophrenia. However for some what causes it is sin. I am a seeker of truth I have read evidence that I have been potentially misdiagnosed. Some have gone as far to suggest that I am clairaudient, clairvoyant,etc. Some have said I am possessed. Some have said I am gifted. Some have said to me I am not mentally ill at all. My sources of information include the following. The bible, new age, metaphysics, people from churches, people who are like myself, doctors, preachers, and teachers, anyone and everyone has told me something different. What you have told me I have already heard, from many other people,and many other people told me something different. Some of which were doctors as well. I have been living with this hellish dis-ease since 1995. The only difference now is Im not paranoid with voices or hallucinations. I understand the nature of reality. I just percieve it differently then the many. Wake up! You shall know the truth and the truth shall set me and the others free.

Adam, it sounds like you have had widely varying answers to your question.  Some, it seems, are what you want to hear.  You want to feel special and gifted, not mentally ill.  Yes, there are passages in the Bible that refer to people being possessed by demons, but there is no evidence that modern-day schizophrenia is a result of demonic possession or the result of any sin of yours or your ancestors.

But, Adam, 1 in every 100 people have schizophrenia.  Wouldn't it seem odd if "evil spirits" attacked exactly that many people worldwide year after year?  Another evidence that schizophrenia is simply a disease like any other is the fact that it responds to medication.

When I was a child, the Devil began to appear to me in a whirlwind and tell me what a bad, sinful person I was and that I would have to atone for my sins.  I don't have to do that, I realize now, because Jesus took my sins on himself.  I began to hear voices and see people and became very depressed.  This continued to get worse over the years until I was diagnosed with schizophrenia 14 years ago.  My psychiatrist worked with me to find the antipsychotic that was most effective in my case.  Each person is different in his or her response to meds.  Since that time, I have ceased hearing voices (including the Devil's,) the "people" in my head have disappeared, and depression rarely bothers me.

The literature says that exorcism performed on a schizophrenic is of absolutely no value, and may even make the person worse because it confirms his belief in the "evil spirits" theory.  If medications work, why not take them?  You may not believe it, but the right meds can change how you feel about spirits, clairvoyance, etc.  The meds will allow you to change your focus on these things to a focus on helping others and living a joyous, productive life.

Wake up!  Has your version of "the truth" set you and others free yet?  You say you are still living with a hellish disease.  I was diagnosed in 1995, too, and with the help of Zyprexa, Wellbutrin, Zoloft and Klonopin I have made great strides forward.  I have experienced significant recovery, to the point where I can live on my own now.  I am happy, looking forward to what is before me.

Carolyn

Excuse me if i'm being out of line, but i noticed that many people with sz have audio hallucinations of the devil. Or voices that claim such.. Why is that? It is rather curious. i remember that Andrea Yates (who drowned her 5 children approx. 8 years ago) had such hallucinations. Why would the voices that people afflicted with sz be primerly negative?

And finally, and please excuse me again-i do not mean to offend in any way, just to understand, why would a person, even a severly mentally ill one ,think the devil is giving good advice and act upon it? (as did A. Yates and others)

Hello abcd,

A former blogger here, Robin Cunningham, heard the voice of the devil when he first got sick when he was 13 years old in 1956.  He attributes this to having discovered the hypocritical nature of someone he knew that was alllegedly a devout Christian.  He believed Satan had come to him and wanted him to atone for his sins.

It is possible that the delusions and paranoia are related to something going on in that person's life, and as such, could be religious in nature.

As wtih all delusions and hallucinations, the reason a person believes the devil is talking to them is because that person cannot differentiate from fact and fiction.  This is of course a simpler explanation.  I believe that someone with a religious background or upbringing or practice might take any voice of the devil more seriously than someone who was not a believer.

Also: a woman I interviewed for a columen I wrote three years ago heard the scripture in her head.  She was a church-going woman and at first believed she was given a special message so that she could communicate with God.  Of course this seemingly innocent "gift" turned sinister and she had to be hospitalized against her will and given medication.

Regards,

Christina

Christia, this is someting that has happened before in late 2004. The funny thing about late 04 is I dont remember everything, I only recall some of those events. Later PTSD was labeled on my diagnoises as well. How can I find help or support out there?

Hello adam,

The National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has a website, http://www.ptsd.va.gov/ that is also good for the general public as well as veterans.  I used this website for myself the day after the 9/11 attacks on the world trade center when I wanted to find out coping skills for dealing with PTSD.

Also, you can contact NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness at (800) 950-NAMI (6264) to find the name and number of the local affiliate in your area that has weekly peer support meetings for people diagnosed with mental illnesses.

Those are two means of support I can think of right now.

Best,

Christina

Carolyn, I still take medicine today as I did then. What makes my type of sz different has been and still is related to the spirit realm. Everyone on this planet has a level of awareness. Some have it more so. Such individuals are called a danger to society. Even while on meds I woulds see the distorted faces, and some people had an auara around their head. As much and often as I take my meds I can even sense them near and around me. It wasn't untill 2004 that in the first time in my life a certain book I read explained to me the real truth about some of the stuff that was happened to me. Don't you understand what was happening the book confirmed and explained why I was going through this. It wasn't necessarilly that I was crazy. Like I was saying some people are more aware than others, and I percieve it differently, they give my illness a name, and give me meds that don't totally cure it. It only eliviates some of the symptoms.In the meantime I do what I can to eliviate other symptoms such as working, listening to music, hobies. Yet even after all of that Ill go to 12 step meetings and sometimes whoever is speaking will shine or the face will distort. So sometimes I just look at the ground or at the wall. The point is is that I have learned to live with it, and I'm no longer afraid, just aware. I am a truth seeker as I seek truth and reach new levels of awareness I share with others. It is also a 12th step principle. How ever what I'm in need of is trying to piece together events that happened to me in late 2004. Because what happened then, changed me in a permanant sort of way.