Exorcism vs Schizophrenia: Any Relation?
Tracey A Spear
Florida Institute of Technology

Author Note
Tracey Spear, Department of Psychology, Florida Institute of Technology. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Tracey Spear, Department of Psychology, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W. University Blvd. Melbourne, FL 32901, Email: tracerspear82@gmail.com
Abstract
Many years ago, many individuals who claimed to have spoken to “God” or seen angels and were coerced to commit certain harmful or illegal acts were considered to be possessed by demons or the devil. This was a problem that created a lot of panic within people to follow their religions and to pray that their spirit would not be consumed by the devil. Religion in most part viewed this as a spiritual aspect where in actual fact, this was a neurologic problem within these individuals. Schizophrenia has also been said to be a hereditary disease and many psychiatrists have to dig deeper into the patient’s family history for any correlation within the family. There are many aspects to take into consideration when dealing with someone who is suffering with delusions and a mixture of religious influence as it can create a lot of controversy. Many will argue this, but medical science throughout history has been solving these types of mysteries surrounding schizophrenia and their relation to exorcisms.
Keywords: schizophrenia, exorcism, hallucinations, demons, religion.
Exorcism vs Schizophrenia: Any Relation?
Many cases throughout history have been misdiagnosed due to the impact of religious influence on a patient which is suffering from schizophrenia. A lot of these types of cases present individuals suffering from paranoid delusions which include hallucinations and the hearing of voices. Many patients listen to these so called voices and commit crimes from murder or even just