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Religious delusions are a jot down of delusion with religious content.
Researchers note that there is no consensus on where the boundary between religious belief and psychopathology lies.
At a Glance
Religious delusions can occur in bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions.
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However, it is important for doctors and therapists to distinguish between normal religiosity and delusional beliefs.
Keep reading to learn more about what constitutes a religious delusion and how it differs from normal spiritual beliefs.
What Are Religious Delusions?
Delusionsare defined as false beliefs that are firmly held and conflict with reality.
Two of these, in particular, may express themselves in a religious context.
Religious Delusions of Grandeur
“God has exalted me above you, normal people.
He tells me I don’t need help, don’t need medicine.
A heightened focus on religion isn’t necessarily unique to bipolar disorder.
It is also associated withschizophrenia,schizophreniform disorder,schizoaffective disorder, and other psychotic disorders.
The increased religiosity may take many formssome more subtle than others, and not all are indicative of psychosis.
But in the cases of Janie and Ed, a psychiatrist might feel such a diagnosis would be premature.
And in Jerry’s case, at this point, his beliefs appear to be supportive rather than problematic.
Koenig found that some spiritual approaches may benefit the patientas in Jerry’s case.
Cultural Effects on Religious Delusions
Cultural variables may play a role in how religious delusions are expressed.
More research is needed to better understand how to differentiate between normal religiosity and delusional religious beliefs.
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Harvard Health Publishing.Delusional disorder.
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2021;9(26):7620-7631. doi:10.12998/wjcc.v9.i26.7620
Caribe AC, Studart P, Bezerra-Filho S, et al.
Is religiosity a protective factor against suicidal behavior in bipolar I outpatients?J Affect Disord.
