5 - Religious delusions in psychotic patients: Prevalence, possible origin, and effects

Abstract

This chapter assessed the prevalence of religious delusions among a group of inpatients from an Egyptian mental health hospital (El-Abbassyia, Cairo). The main purpose was to investigate the frequency of religious delusions in psychotic patients, and how this affected their prognosis. Specifically, this study was carried out because there is insufficient research within Arabic-speaking cultures on the role religion plays in mental health illnesses. To achieve this goal, we investigated whether self-reported religious orientation, as well as the degree of insight patients had concerning their beliefs was related to the frequency of religious delusions. It is important to ascertain what social and interpersonal factors increase the chances of suffering delusions with religious content as it will affect the individual’s health belief model, and therefore, its adherence to treatment. The results indicate that 38% of patients suffered religious delusions, and it was found that higher religious orientation and higher conviction in their beliefs was associated with increased chances of experiencing religious delusions. This growing body of knowledge underscores the need to attend more fully to the potentially destructive (and constructive) roles of religion in psychiatric diagnosis, assessment, and treatment.