Mental Illness Or Demon Possession?

Origins of Daemons/Demons

This article does not discuss those demons that are found by Ghost Hunters and the paranormal kind. It discusses the kinds that are human possessions.

The Bible tells us of Demons and how bad and rotten they are. It tells us to stay away from them because they are evil. Satan is supposed to be the leader of those Angels or Demons and his reign is here on Earth or is the Earth. The Bible also says that Jesus cast out demons and there were many of them. We now know what they are today as will be shown in this article. Jesus said that we would do greater things than he. If you believe in him then you must believe in mental health and that we can through knowledge cast out our own demons.

The origin of Daemon / Demon is Greek. The original daemons were intelligent, sensible guardian spirits. In the Bible and taught by religions they are now malicious, deviant, horrible creatures here to take your soul.

Mental Illness

Characteristics of Deamons/Demons

Daemons are used by the church to inflict fear into others. Some of the things that Demons do are possess weak individuals. They are like leaches and attach to persons who have gone through a physical trauma. They can be hereditary and can kill an individual by sucking all their energy from them. How they can inflict their presence onto humans include loss of energy, fatigue, paranoia, depression and irritability.

Very different than the original form and description of daemons from the Greek perspective huh?

There is a writer here that has done some research about who Lucifer was/is too that you may want to take a look-see and read: LUCIFER

Mental Illness Medical Implications

There are many mental illnesses that are often mis-understood and feared. Mental Illnesses are a biological malfunction in the brain. Most can be corrected with the right kind of therapy. Mental Illnesses cause a person to do many irrational things and some mental illnesses are hereditary. Of the major Mental Illnesses people will seem fine one moment and be totally different another and some will never know what they did while in the other state of mind. Mental Illness has no barriers and can affect those of any age, race, religion income or sex.

A few movies that come to mind for you to view about these types of illnesses are "The Three Faces of Eve" and "SYBIL" Both deals with Multiple Personality Disorder and is available at Amazon.com and is listed on this site.

Major Mental Illness Symptoms

For correct descriptions I will be quoting text from: National Alliance On Mental Illnesses

Bi-Polar:

Mania is the word that describes the activated phase of bipolar disorder. The symptoms of mania may include:

·        either an elated, happy mood or an irritable, angry, unpleasant mood

·        increased physical and mental activity and energy

·        racing thoughts and flight of ideas

·        increased talking, more rapid speech than normal

·        ambitious, often grandiose plans

·        risk taking

·        impulsive activity such as spending sprees, sexual indiscretion, and alcohol abuse

·        decreased sleep without experiencing fatigue

What is Manic Depression?

The onset of the first episode of major depression may not be obvious if it is gradual or mild. The symptoms of major depression characteristically represent a significant change from how a person functioned before the illness. The symptoms of depression include:

·        persistently sad or irritable mood

·        pronounced changes in sleep, appetite, and energy

·        difficulty thinking, concentrating, and remembering

·        physical slowing or agitation

·        lack of interest in or pleasure from activities that were once enjoyed

·        feelings of guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness, and emptiness

·        recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

·        persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain

When several of these symptoms of depressive illness occur at the same time, last longer than two weeks, and interfere with ordinary functioning, professional treatment is needed.

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia:

The symptoms of schizophrenia are generally divided into three categories -- Positive, Negative, and Cognitive:

·        Positive Symptoms, or "psychotic" symptoms, include delusions and hallucinations because the patient has lost touch with reality in certain important ways. "Positive" refers to having overt symptoms that should not be there. Delusions cause individuals to believe that people are reading their thoughts or plotting against them, that others are secretly monitoring and threatening them, or that they can control other people's minds. Hallucinations cause people to hear or see things that are not present.

·        Negative Symptoms include emotional flatness or lack of expression, an inability to start and follow through with activities, speech that is brief and devoid of content, and a lack of pleasure or interest in life. "Negative" does not refer to a person's attitude but to a lack of certain characteristics that should be there.

·        Cognitive Symptoms pertain to thinking processes. For example, people may have difficulty with prioritizing tasks, certain kinds of memory functions, and organizing their thoughts. A common problem associated with schizophrenia is the lack of insight into the condition itself. This is not a willful denial but rather a part of the mental illness itself. Such a lack of understanding, of course, poses many challenges for loved ones seeking better care for the person with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia also affects mood. While many individuals affected with schizophrenia become depressed, some also have apparent mood swings and even bipolar-like states. When mood instability is a major feature of the illness, it is called schizoaffective disorder, meaning that elements of schizophrenia and mood disorders are prominently displayed by the same individual. It is not clear whether schizoaffective disorder is a distinct condition or simply a subtype of schizophrenia.

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline Personality Disorder:

A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood ** and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1) Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.

Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior*** covered in Criterion 5.

2) A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.

3) Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.

4) Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating).

Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior*** covered in Criterion 5.

5) Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior***.

6) Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).

7) Chronic feelings of emptiness.

8) Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights).

9) Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms.

*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association

** Data collected informally from many families indicate this pattern of symptoms may appear as early as the pre-teens

***The preferred term is self-harm or self-injury

Important Considerations about Borderline Personality Disorder

1. The five of nine criteria needed to diagnose the disorder may be present in a large number of different combinations. This results in the fact that the disorder often presents quite differently from one person to another, thus making accurate diagnosis somewhat confusing to a clinician not skilled in the area.

2. BPD rarely stands alone. There is high co-occurrence with other disorders.

3. BPD affects between .07 to 2% of the population. The highest estimation, 2%, approximates the number of persons diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

4. Estimates are 10% of outpatients and 20% of inpatients who present for treatment have BPD

5. 75% are women. This number may, in part, reflect that women more often seek treatment, that anger is seen as more acceptable in men, and that men with similar symptoms often enter the penal system receiving a diagnosis of antisocial personality.

6. 75% of patients self-injure.

7. Approximately 10% of individuals with BPD complete suicide attempts.

8. A chronic disorder that is resistant to change, we now know that BPD has a good prognosis when treated properly. Such treatment usually consists of medications, psychotherapy and educational and support groups.

9. In many patients with BPD, medications have been shown to be very helpful in reducing the severity of symptoms and enabling effective psychotherapy to occur. Medications are also often essential in the proper treatment of disorders that commonly co-occur with BPD.

10. There are a growing number of psychotherapeutic approaches specifically developed for people with BPD. Some of these have been in use, tested in research trials, and appear to be very effective; the newer ones are very promising.

11. These and other treatments have been shown to be effective in the treatment of BPD, and MANY PATIENTS DO GET BETTER!

Theories of Origins and Pathology of Borderline Personality Disorder

At this point in time, clinical theorists believe that biogenetic and environmental components are both necessary for the disorder to develop. These factors are varied and complex. Many different environments may further contribute to the development of the disorder. Families providing reasonably nurturing and caring environments may nevertheless see their relative develop the illness. In other situations, childhood abuse has exacerbated the condition. The best explanation appears to be that there is a confluence of environmental factors and a neurobiological propensity that leads to a sensitive, emotionally labile child.

There are many more Mental Illnesses. Some of those are alcoholism and some symptoms such as those above will show up in adverse reactions to some prescription and OTC drugs.

What is an Epileptic Seizure?

In Conclusion

Medical and scientific knowledge was not known to those who wrote the books and letters of the Bible. They had no idea what a Mental illness was. Knowledge is power and wisdom to know and accept the truth is even better. We all fear the unknown. Those who act different or erratic are not possessed by demons. Religions try to keep the knowledge from the people and they instill fear of the unknown. Everything that they don't understand is evil or a demon or of the Devil or Satan. This simply is not the case. Most times the unknown is not scary at all but is a good thing. So before you think someone is possessed think again. They may need medical/mental help or they may be having an adverse reaction to a drug they have taken.

*NOTE: As I was researching the internet for what symptoms Demon Possession where I kept seeing most of the symptoms listed above. One other important thing that I also noticed was the many people that are taught that these are demons when the person is coming away from the church. That is one obvious sign that the church they belonged to is a Cult because they will demean anything that person trying to leave as much as possible even as far as getting them to lose their job and family members.

For More Information Please Check These Articles Out---

·        Was Jesus Crazy?
Exploring the possibility that Jesus Christ was mentally deranged, based on the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia and stories from Jesus' life.

·        The Secret Life of the Brain
A wonderful education videos of the brain, how it is formed, how it works, how it heals itself and the various diseases of it from birth to the end of life. Watch it now!

·        TWENTY (20) FACTS ABOUT DEMONS
WELCOME TO PASTOR DR. CARLOTTA'S COUNSELING CENTER. Here's Twenty (20) Facts about Demons you should know and refer back to this Hub when in need! 1. Demons have names: Luke 8:30; Jesus demanded, "What is...

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere