Christianity Oasis Member Forum & Chat Room

disclaimer: I am not a health care practitioner and do not advocate a turning away from medication nor treatment.

Psychiatry does not know the cause of psychotic disorders. Modern research merely "implies" that it is a brain disorder. This is nothing but a poor educated guess. For thousands of years it was known to be evil spirits to drive a person mad. The word madness was changed to insanity and now to a psychosis. The treating physicians would drill holes in people's heads to release the evil spirits. The problem with this is that evil spirits do not reside in a person's head. And needless to say, this form of treatment killed a number of patients. Frontal lobotomies would leave patients with brain damage and yet no cure. Physicians would subdue patients with excessive electric shock and heavy drugs. Research shows a chemical imbalance in most psychotics today. This would parallel cases with a history of drug abuse. The brain disorder that psychiatry has discovered would be brain damage caused by some drugs. Drugs like methamphetamine and crack cocaine are sins that bring evil spirits into a person's life. The paranoid drug user believing that the cops are following them is being deceived by evil spirits who are masquerading as cops. Many cultures today still teach the truth that psychotic disorders are caused by evil spirits. Psychiatry has failed to discover the cause of these disorders and they have also failed to find a cure. Some psychiatrists today will tell their patients that their symptoms may be do to evil spirits. Good spirits are not the cause of psychotic disorders. Jesus Christ died so that our souls would be salvaged (restored) and we would not end up as an evil spirit in the afterlife. God, Jesus and the angels reach out to help some of these psychotic people. This is the reason why some psychotics claim to have seen and/or heard God, Jesus, angels, demons and the dead. It is unrighteous how modern day psychiatry unwittingly discredits the testimonies of God's lowly witnesses.

Psychology is part of the course curriculum required to become a priest today. There are few people that would know some of the works of evil spirits upon mankind today. The priests trained in exorcisms and permitted to perform them would have a better understanding. 100 years or so ago, before psychiatry, the Catholic Church taught that psychotic disorders were caused by evil spirits. I believe that this is no longer taught do to lawsuits and the Church's repetition.

Evil spirits do indeed cause a mental illness. I believe that a healthy lifestyle with psychiatric treatment if needed and spiritual growth can benefit a person with a psychotic disorder.

1 Peter 5:8-11. Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. Resist him, steadfast, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory through Christ [Jesus] will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little. To him be dominion forever. Amen.

I have experienced various chemical imbalances in my life: PMS, menopause, reactions to medications, reactions to fatigue. I am quite different when I am feeling well and when I am not. The side effect to one prescription drug for pain is increased serotonin. I got so sad when I didn't take that drug. It makes a huge difference. I've read so much about people being angry and then finding something that fixed something about them and they became so different.

Many people don't pay attention to sleep, nutritional requirements and other things that very much affect how they feel. Other people have unexplainable issues like you describe, but for many of us, paying attention and doing what we ought to do makes a huge difference. Sleep until rested, eat what you know you should eat. Don't eat much of what you know isn't good for you. Exercise. Don't take meth. As far as the latter - I can also understand from the great sadness I have felt due to some of these symptoms why people do take drugs. Escaping the sadness is a big motivation to do things one shouldn't do.

My ultimate lesson from all this is not to judge. Some of these things are a rough row to hoe.

I couldn't agree with you more. I am a little hard on psychiatry. But I do believe in treatment and medication that works.

I've been reading about depression and one doctor wrote that sunshine is a huge reason and that sleep deprivation is another. When people were farmers, they worked hard out in bright light. Outside is ten to 100 times as bright as inside. And that studies into bright light therapy have had good results. Also people exercised hard and slept well - often over 9 hours a night. And there are studies showing both exercise and sleep - particularly sleep - are related to depression.

I'm pushing sixty and this year I was really thinking that I had to work something out with my bosses that working full time just wasn't going to happen much longer. But then the days got shorter and I realized that the reason I felt like such an old hag was the quality of my sleep. I know I had issues with getting to sleep soundly. I started taking melatonin and trying various things - like not being on the computer before bed - but it was taking me two hours of this dozy sleep before I got into a real sleep. The days got shorter and that went away - and I feel ten years younger again. Hallelujah! We bought heavier curtains for the bedroom and I may switch out the blinds next summer. But I tell you, it was totally enlightening. I didn't feel like sleeping during the day except right after lunch. I just felt old and tired much of the time. And I exercise regularly and eat more vegetables than most people. .

Gives me empathy though.

It is good to hear sound advice. I've noticed depression setting in because I stay indoors a lot and do not get much sunshine. I am not getting much sleep. I do not exercise. And I eat very little vegetables. I used to be a lacto ovo vegetarian, got outdoors a lot and exercised. I felt 15 percent better and much younger. I would do the same today, but unfortunately I am not in the position to do so. Perhaps when my life straightens out a bit, I can start working on my health more. In the meantime, I'll just try to do the best that I can. Thank you and God bless.

Researchers are limited to studying the physical. They lack knowledge of things spiritual. This is the reason that they haven't found the cause of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. They have noticed it can be hereditary. This is do to one or more close family members having evil spirits in their lives. When these people pass away and even before, the spirits will sometimes go to a familiar child and/or an adult.

Exorcisms are on the rise in America.

"In lengthy interviews with The Telegraph, the two exorcists discuss how the increase in drug and pornography addiction, failure of the mental healthcare system and a rise in popularity of "pagan activities", such as using a Ouija board to summon the dead, are among the factors contributing to the huge increase in demand for the Rite."

Leading US exorcists explain huge increase in demand for the Rite - and priests to carry them out:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/26/leading-us-exorcists-explain-huge-increase-in-demand-for-the-rit/

I hear fewer priests are willing to perform them because of the danger associated with the removal of the demonic spirit. Interesting sharing notforgotten.

Take care

As someone who experiences mental illness and is going into sociology, this is a fascinating subject for me.

Yes, many mental disorders are caused by a chemical imbalance, and certain ones, if not most/all, do appear to be hereditary. Some, like PTSD, aren't really hereditary. A person can develop PTSD from ANYTHING their body/mind deems to be traumatic, and two people can go through the exact same experience, but only one of them develops PTSD.

There's still so much we don't understand about the brain.