I do not attribute all mental illnesses to spiritual causes. In fact, most mental illnesses are due to physiological causes in the brain. However, I can't help but wonder if schizophrenia could be a medical diagnosis of a spiritual condition. One of the primary symptoms is the hearing of intelligible voices. These voices are negative, violent, & self destructive. Often, multiple distinct voices are heard. As I think through the possible demonic connection, I'd like to hear your opinions on this.
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Schizophrenia: Medical condition or Demonic oppression?
- Thread starter michael-acts17:11
- Start date
preacher4truth
Active Member
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I believe it could be either or both. We know that depression can be caused by chemical imbalances (and corrected by medication). Schizophrenia likewise can be genetic. I don’t think it unreasonable to believe depression can, but not necessarily, be related to sin. Likewise, I wouldn’t rule out demonic forces for mental illnesses simply because if one can be possessed by a demon it might present itself to the scientific world as a mental illness (or an aptitude for politics).
Are you seriously saying that you believe that science would accept "DEMONS" as a cause for anything?
???????????
quantumfaith
Active Member
Schizophrenia is a serious disorder which affects how a person thinks, feels and acts. Someone with schizophrenia may have difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is imaginary; may be unresponsive or withdrawn; and may have difficulty expressing normal emotions in social situations.
Contrary to public perception, schizophrenia is not split personality or multiple personality. The vast majority of people with schizophrenia are not violent and do not pose a danger to others. Schizophrenia is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting or lack of willpower, nor are the symptoms identical for each person.
What causes schizophrenia?
The cause of schizophrenia is still unclear. Some theories about the cause of this disease include: genetics (heredity), biology (the imbalance in the brain’s chemistry); and/or possible viral infections and immune disorders.
Genetics (Heredity). Scientists recognize that the disorder tends to run in families and that a person inherits a tendency to develop the disease. Schizophrenia may also be triggered by environmental events, such as viral infections or highly stressful situations or a combination of both.
Similar to some other genetically-related illnesses, schizophrenia appears when the body undergoes hormonal and physical changes, like those that occur during puberty in the teen and young adult years.
Chemistry. Genetics help to determine how the brain uses certain chemicals. People with schizophrenia have a chemical imbalance of brain chemicals (serotonin and dopamine) which are neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters allow nerve cells in the brain to send messages to each other. The imbalance of these chemicals affects the way a person’s brain reacts to stimuli--which explains why a person with schizophrenia may be overwhelmed by sensory information (loud music or bright lights) which other people can easily handle. This problem in processing different sounds, sights, smells and tastes can also lead to hallucinations or delusions.
What are the early warning signs of schizophrenia?
The signs of schizophrenia are different for everyone. Symptoms may develop slowly over months or years, or may appear very abruptly. The disease may come and go in cycles of relapse and remission.
Behaviors that are early warning signs of schizophrenia include:
Hearing or seeing something that isn’t there
A constant feeling of being watched
Peculiar or nonsensical way of speaking or writing
Strange body positioning
Feeling indifferent to very important situations
Deterioration of academic or work performance
A change in personal hygiene and appearance
A change in personality
Increasing withdrawal from social situations
Irrational, angry or fearful response to loved ones
Inability to sleep or concentrate
Inappropriate or bizarre behavior
Extreme preoccupation with religion or the occult
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/...zophrenia/schizophrenia-what-you-need-to-know
Not all mental problems are spiritual problems.
Some need to be taken seriously and treated appropriately by a properly trained physician. Unless someone is a diagnosed by a professional, we should carefully tread in this area.
Some need to be taken seriously and treated appropriately by a properly trained physician. Unless someone is a diagnosed by a professional, we should carefully tread in this area.
There is no scientific evidence that depression causes a chemical imbalance.
I think....
....this subject should be left to the professionals. There are some things that believers don't fully understand, and by trying to understand, we sometimes do more harm to the afflicted than good!
With that said, most cases of mental illness are caused by brain injuries and chemical imbalances.
For instance, it has been proven that those who have an alcoholic of drug addicted parent(s) inherit this receptor cell in their brain that lays dormant until the missing piece of that cell is introduced to the body by way of let's say, nicotine, alcohol or a particular drug of the parents choice. Once that missing link is joined to the empty receptor in the person's brain, they begin to crave that particular chemical, and face a lifetime battle with avoiding the need to satisfy the bodies desire to get its fix with that specific chemical!
This is similar to mental illness. Chemicals needed to create a balance within the brain is missing, and the empty receptor cell acts out in behaviors that are mostly anti-social, or socially strange. Once a qualified doctor introduces the proper chemical to the body of the mentally ill, and that brain receptor gets its fix, the problems will go away! Thus, we now have a chemically balanced system!
I am not a professional in this area; I've just been to classes taught by some highly qualified professionals who explained the above in a way that made sense. After all, as a drug rehab administrator, I needed to understand why the people we treated needed our help!
When I learned about the empty receptor theory, it all made a lot more sense. I could finally understand why people were addicted to things like alcohol or drugs. This is why it is so important that children of addicts or alcholics should be kept from the chemicals that held their parents hostage! Once their empty receptor cells get a taste of the missing chemical, the chance of their body getting addicted is very good!
Counseling can go a long way in helping people who need ways to redirect their unresolved anger and guilt, but when counseling falls short, chemicals are used to help sort of the problems and give people the ability to deal with the mental problems these imbalances create for them!
Demons are not always the causative root of mental illness, and when it is a demon, I choose to think it should no longer be called a mental or emotional illness. It is truly, if it can be proven to be, a demonic issue! And because we live in a supernatural realm, fighting a supernatural enemy, the possibilities of supernatural possession by evil will always be a possibility, especially when counseling and legal chemical treatments fail to do as advertised!
If this makes sense to you, then I have done something good. If this only serves to make you question my words, I am sorry! There is a great many theories as to why and how people end up with mental and emotional disorders in life! There are many answers and ideas floating around out there, but it is important that we, as a church, don't jump of the deep end and blame everything we don't understand on devils.
Flip Wilson [for those who remember this televison comic] used to have a routine that wnet like this, "The devil made me do it!" While this is funny and laughable in a comic setting, it is not always laughable when it comes to diagnosing the root cause of anothers emotiona or mental state of being! :type:
....this subject should be left to the professionals. There are some things that believers don't fully understand, and by trying to understand, we sometimes do more harm to the afflicted than good!
With that said, most cases of mental illness are caused by brain injuries and chemical imbalances.
For instance, it has been proven that those who have an alcoholic of drug addicted parent(s) inherit this receptor cell in their brain that lays dormant until the missing piece of that cell is introduced to the body by way of let's say, nicotine, alcohol or a particular drug of the parents choice. Once that missing link is joined to the empty receptor in the person's brain, they begin to crave that particular chemical, and face a lifetime battle with avoiding the need to satisfy the bodies desire to get its fix with that specific chemical!
This is similar to mental illness. Chemicals needed to create a balance within the brain is missing, and the empty receptor cell acts out in behaviors that are mostly anti-social, or socially strange. Once a qualified doctor introduces the proper chemical to the body of the mentally ill, and that brain receptor gets its fix, the problems will go away! Thus, we now have a chemically balanced system!
I am not a professional in this area; I've just been to classes taught by some highly qualified professionals who explained the above in a way that made sense. After all, as a drug rehab administrator, I needed to understand why the people we treated needed our help!
When I learned about the empty receptor theory, it all made a lot more sense. I could finally understand why people were addicted to things like alcohol or drugs. This is why it is so important that children of addicts or alcholics should be kept from the chemicals that held their parents hostage! Once their empty receptor cells get a taste of the missing chemical, the chance of their body getting addicted is very good!
Counseling can go a long way in helping people who need ways to redirect their unresolved anger and guilt, but when counseling falls short, chemicals are used to help sort of the problems and give people the ability to deal with the mental problems these imbalances create for them!
Demons are not always the causative root of mental illness, and when it is a demon, I choose to think it should no longer be called a mental or emotional illness. It is truly, if it can be proven to be, a demonic issue! And because we live in a supernatural realm, fighting a supernatural enemy, the possibilities of supernatural possession by evil will always be a possibility, especially when counseling and legal chemical treatments fail to do as advertised!
If this makes sense to you, then I have done something good. If this only serves to make you question my words, I am sorry! There is a great many theories as to why and how people end up with mental and emotional disorders in life! There are many answers and ideas floating around out there, but it is important that we, as a church, don't jump of the deep end and blame everything we don't understand on devils.
Flip Wilson [for those who remember this televison comic] used to have a routine that wnet like this, "The devil made me do it!" While this is funny and laughable in a comic setting, it is not always laughable when it comes to diagnosing the root cause of anothers emotiona or mental state of being! :type:
yes, the sin of Adam that caused the fall, and the curse of sin makes things like mentall illness happen. but think that some cases are indeed demonic, while others due to chemical imbalances, environment, emotional bagge etc, and NOT caused always by personal sinning, if that was the case, we ALL here would have mental illnesses going on!
Not true. We all have willful sin going on not mental illness. You are trying to deny sin while the claim of mental illness justifies it. If the fall caused mental illness what caused Adam to sin? Was he mentally ill also?
There is no scientific test or evidence proving that mental illness is a condition causing people to sin. The bible teaches that we sin because we choose too, not because we have too as you are suggesting. You might want to read 1 Cor. 10:13.
While I have no question that sin begets sin and can trap a person into wild thinking it is not some illness that comes on the person first, but the sin gone wild that causes it. The same with alcoholism. Alcoholism is not a disease. It is the result of sin taking control of the person. You sin first and you become trapped.
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Either or both, as someone posted earlier. As a pastor and counselor I would refer someone with those conditions to a medical professional while I pray for (and hopefully with) them.
My personal life has been touched by a loved one who once temporarily suffered from depression, and I am now much more compassionate towards those who suffer from mental illnesses.
My personal life has been touched by a loved one who once temporarily suffered from depression, and I am now much more compassionate towards those who suffer from mental illnesses.
Keep in mid I am not suggesting that certain people should not be directed to someone who gives them certain drugs to restrain them from harming themselves or others, but the original condition was brought on by sin. I have no problem changing this view if someone can show me any person in the bible who suffered from what today is called a mental illness and did not have prior sin in their life which brought on their condition.
One last thing. It is not a lack of compassion to know and hold to the truth. Compassion requires truth and denying why people get into certain mental states is not compassion.
No one is denying sin at all, sin causes corruption. That is why we have illness and death. But God in His grace has granted us the blessing of medicines to help with some of the results of our sin. My loved one suffered temporarily from depression, s/he took medicine for it temporarily, and praise be to the Lord s/he is now fine.
I am denying that a person sin they do causes always to have a mental illness!
That would be part of the Curse of the fakll of adam, as we now experience all sorts of diseases, illnesses, bad thing God did not intend for us, but Sin wreaked it for us!
We ALL still have willful sinning going on, even after saved by the Lord, but as Jesus said, the man was born blind neither due to hisparents sins, nor His, but in order to be used to glorify God!
Judith have you ever dealt with someone having issues of chemical imbalance or struggling with addiction? You seem very confident in your answers and assertions.
If we were to follow the logical end game of your theory, all sickness should treated as a spiritual issue, is that what you believe?
If we were to follow the logical end game of your theory, all sickness should treated as a spiritual issue, is that what you believe?
Judith;2032037 It is not a lack of compassion to know and hold to the truth. Compassion requires truth and denying why people get into certain mental states is not compassion.[/QUOTE said:
maybe I am misunderstanding Judith position on this, but she appears to be stating that all sickness and problems are directly caused by our own sinning, but the truth is the Fall corrupted this creation of God, and as a result, people have diseases/illnesses etc due to Sin in the system!
Now we also do bring about results due to us choosing to sin, but that would be on top of what the Fall already has done!
They do have a spiritual aspect to them, so do need to addrress those issues, but also many times have a strictly physical aspect as well!
Its Both aspects here, not either/or!
been exposed to the ills of "deliverance ministries" while in Charasmatic circles, and do not want to see it all as being results of Deons. Satan, just claim your promises inJesus etc!