Helping patients by casting out their demons

[Ian David]

Helping patients by casting out their demons
03 November 2011

By Blair McPherson

You would not be surprised to be told that some people with mental health problems claim to hear voices and be possessed by demons. You might be a little surprised to be informed that the church still carries out exorcisms or "deliverance" (from evil) as they are now known.

But you probably would be very surprised to learn that the NHS uses exorcism as an alternative form of treatment for mental health problems. According to an article in the Times news paper (1/11/11) the church and the NHS are quietly working together on exorcism.

This is not some wacky cult but mainstream religion and not some unconventional lone psychiatrist but respected professionals. The Church of England has 44 exorcists appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the article Dr Rob Walker, consultant psychiatrist and lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, referrers to medical support groups across the country include Church of England and Catholic exorcists and Imams. Walker is quoted as saying that "every consultant will see a handful of patients in their career requiring some kind of deliverance".

Professor Robin M Murray, head of Psychiatric Research at Kings Collage Institute of Psychiatry, is more cautious about the role of exorcism in treating mental health patients, saying he doesn't know of any scientific evidence that exorcism works but acknowledging that not all psychiatric problems respond to conventional treatments. He goes on to say that he would have thought it reasonable for a hospital chaplain to carry this out.

More:
http://www.publicservice.co.uk/feature_story.asp?id=18038

[NMMNG]

1. Will they also be covering trepanning

to release the evil spirits of mental illness?

[mr blur]

2. Well, "a hospital chaplain" is not a doctor, or pretending to one,

unlike a homeopath, for example.

However, I do of course favour keeping any kind of lunacy out of hospitals.

[dmallind]

3. Perhaps strangely, I see some sense here.

If the patient is deluded enough to believe in demon possession, they are quite likely deluded enough to believe exorcism will treat it, and benefit from a placebo effect.

[Ian David]

4. Perhaps, but then they might forgo some kind of real treatment.

Or become possessed by "another" demon later.

[NMMNG]

5. Maybe

But I don't like the idea of feeding into a person's delusions, even if it might help them.