Was It a Demon? Or Is It All In Your Head?

I began listening to a podcast called Sawbones by Dr. Sydnee McElory and Justin McElroy. In each episode, the duo discusses a medical topic in a historic light. One that piqued my interest an episode pertaining to the idea of human possessions. (link)

Within the 40 minutes, Dr, McElory displays the tragedy of mental illness being misinterpreted for demonic possessions. Priests and ministers would try to expel the demon from the victim, and often kill them as a result from the process. And I assumed that these types of notions and practices seldom take place during modern times. As revealed by the couple, people still believe and try to perform exorcisms. I am a strong believer in the sciences, so I don’t really believe that demons could take hold on someone’s soul. Curious about more modern day practices of exorcisms, I did further research.

I came across an article from The Guardian pertaining to the detriment that exorcisms cause. Sadly, “Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are the traditional candidates for a false diagnosis of demonic infestation.” Instead of receiving proper treatment by medical professionals, the victims are subjected to torturous actions. The article sites that “1,500 child-abuse cases a year are linked to notions of witchcraft and demonic possession” in the UK alone. It’s apparent that this belief system is prevalent enough to have an impact. This belief system seems to be more prominent in Christianity. I’m Jewish, and have yet to hear ideas, such as demon possession, spoken about within the community. Regardless, this source is heavily skewed negatively against exorcisms. I felt it was only fair to see the opposing view point.

My research journey led me to a new article. CNN covered a psychiatrist named Dr. Richard Gallagher, an Ivy-league graduate who teaches at Columbia and NY Medical College. This doctor believes in exorcisms, something I thought was unheard of. How could a medical doctor, especially a psychiatrist, believe in superstitions?  As crazy as it seems to me, he at least doesn’t completely cast away the possibility of mental illnesses in victims. For years, ha has “distinguish[ed] between mental illness and what he calls ‘the real thing'” alongside clergy men.  At the very least, there is someone out there who believes in possession, but also acknowledges the issues of mental illnesses. Although I may not agree with his view point, I appreciated reading a more, in my opinion, realistic modern approach to superstition and the demon phenomenon.

Ultimately, it’s left up to each individual to believe in demons or not. If you start seeing demon like images, will you call an exorcist or a physician?

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