Dr. Kathleen Taylor is a neuroscientist who thinks that in the future Religious Fundamentalism could be treated as a Mental Illness

article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/31/kathleen-taylor-religious-fundamentalism-mental-illness_n_3365896.html

Sample quote:-

“Someone who has for example become radicalised to a cult ideology -- we might stop seeing that as a personal choice that they have chosen as a result of pure free will and may start treating it as some kind of mental disturbance," Taylor said. “In many ways it could be a very positive thing because there are no doubt beliefs in our society that do a heck of a lot of damage."

The author went on to say she wasn't just referring to the "obvious candidates like radical Islam," but also meant such beliefs as the idea that beating children is acceptable.

Does this give us hope for staunch, deluded TBMs?

What an amazing development that would be. A clinical diagnosis from smart people. It might also open up a more healthy discussion, especially here in the US. We really have some problems here with religion that infect what was designed to be a secular government, free from religion, but tolerant of religion.

We are not free from religion in the United States, it is pervasive and intrusive.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2013 05:07PM by gentlestrength.

I wonder if it is more likely that those who are religious fundamentalists have some sort of underlying mental illness, that, if treated, could relieve them of their fundamentalism?

We know one think for sure, mormonism attracts and breeds the mentally ill.

http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/is-your-state-the-most-depressing-a2623.html

"In the most depressed state in the United States, Utah, 10.14% of adults experienced a major depressive episode and 14.58% experienced significant psychological distress in the same year".

Also, the top 10 list is a who's who of mormon states:

"The most depressed states in the USA tend to offer few public resources for people who suffer depression, in order from most depressed to less depressed:

Utah
West Virginia
Kentucky
Rhode Island
Nevada
Oklahoma
Idaho
Ohio
Missouri
Wyoming"

Finally, I would add on a personal note, that there are six people in my immediate family. 3 tbm's and 3 ex mormons. The three tbm's all struggle mightily with clinical depression and a litany of personality disorders and all take at least one medication regularly. The three ex mormons, by contrast, struggle the most with their mormon past and the past/current life impacts it has wrought but are not currently taking any medication.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2013 06:28PM by Albinolamanite.

quote:

DSM-IV Religious & Spiritual Problems

The inclusion in the DSM-IV of a new diagnostic category called "Religious
or Spiritual Problem" marks a significant breakthrough. For the first time,there is acknowledgment of distressing religious and spiritual experiences as nonpathological problems.

Spiritual emergencies are crises during which theprocess of growth and change becomes chaotic and overwhelming.

The proposal for this new diagnostic category came from transpersonal clinicians concerned with the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of persons in the midst of spiritual crises.

http://www.spiritualcompetency.com/dsm4/dsmrsproblem.pdf


MORE HERE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_crisis

But the person would have to see a psychiatrist,etc, and be diagnosed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2013 06:34PM by SusieQ#1.

This is no "great scientific breakthrough." It's Phase 1 in the attempt to declare anyone insane who disagrees with the government, corporate media, and collectivism. It's a hideous attack on our freedom to think and associate as we choose.

The artificial cultural construct of 'mental illness' has already done enough damage as it is.

But sure, let's do it: let's round up the rest of the kooks who are offending us by not believing or behaving in socially acceptable ways. Let's turn to an industry using patronizing cartoons to hawk toxic substances on TV, because surely their intentions are only for "helping" people, not to make more money when their prescription saturation for a certain diagnosis has reached maximum profitability and they're now looking for a new income stream off the same substance.

How happy they will be when the FDA approves a new category of 'mental illness' that their drug can be prescribed for: Unacceptable Religiosity Disorder (shortened to URD, of course).

Yes, let's work to ensure that those holding religious beliefs we don't like are properly diagnosed with a brain disease that can only be "treated" by professionals who are having a torrid affair with those making the cartoon TV adverts, and then let's encourage them to get medicated, and if they don't let's see if we can find a way to incarcerate and forcibly medicate them. As if labeling them as "Not One of Us Normal, Well-Adjusted People" isn't bad enough.

Subjecting religious kooks to legal consequences if they break the law just isn't enough. Let's give them a DSM label, too. Because those labels are eminently scientific.

So yeah - I'm just going to stand aside, here, as the mental health professionals go after those fruitcake URD's. They're dangerous! And I promise not to complain when the time comes for the experts to identify and diagnose whatever mental hangups, irrational hangups I have as an "illness".

This is such a great idea. Nothing bad - certainly no unforeseen and unintended consequences - could ever possibly come from it. After all, we're just trying to help!

Because we all know that the government never uses religion to try to outlaw those that think different.

There are several factors involved. Sometimes it is not the religion which makes people mentally ill but their illness which leads them to extreme religion. Part of the problem of Utah and moism is that it fails to even permit coffee drinking. The number of TBMs who are depressed and could be helped by something so simple is great. In our family those affected who drink coffee get rid of depression and those who don't drink coffee take anti-depressants.

rhgc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are several factors involved. Sometimes it
> is not the religion which makes people mentally
> ill but their illness which leads them to extreme
> religion. Part of the problem of Utah and moism is
> that it fails to even permit coffee drinking. The
> number of TBMs who are depressed and could be
> helped by something so simple is great. In our
> family those affected who drink coffee get rid of
> depression and those who don't drink coffee take
> anti-depressants.

In response to the above statement:

I agree that there are many factors. Trying to solve a mental illness with one method is just not possible.

The same is true with depression: so many types/kinds/ so many different causes and methods for cure.

Oh, great. Re-education camps. Disagreeing with the prevailing dogma = mental illness. Thought reform clinics. Siberia. Mao Zedong and his "Great Leap Forward," in which millions were starved and killed.

Sure glad it could never happen here! (*snort*)

My sister is a schizophrenic & drug addict, & she has never gotten the right kind of help she needs because of her religious fundementalism condition/addiction. She just thinks "God" is going to heal her, & that the mental health profession is bunk. I'm glad that the mental health & medical establishment is going to take this shit seriously now, because maybe there will be hope for many in the future. Unfortunately, it's too late for my sister.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2013 01:45AM by Susan I/S.

Maybe it is time for some of the very bad ideas religions promote that cause so much suffering to be educated out of existence. But there are too many people that treat religion as a sacred "can do no wrong and can not be criticized" cow.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2013 09:33PM by MJ.

She only functions decently while on lithium, but no, "god" was going to save her, cure her schizophrenia & her drug addiction/alcoholism. I had had enough of her abusive behavior towards me, & haven spoken to her in years.

Research on religion and mental health shows that for many people, participation in a religious community is correlated with better mental health and greater happiness. At the same time, belief systems or aspects of belief systems can and sometimes do contribute to the creation or maintenance of mental illnesses. For example, in my opinion, aspects of Mormonism create and maintain depression and anxiety among many of its adherents as well as ex-Mormons. Other conservative, repressive religions take their toll as well.

In a study titled "Research on Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health: A Review," Dr. Harold G. Koenig writes

"Religious and spiritual factors are increasingly being examined in psychiatric research. Religious beliefs and practices have long been linked to hysteria, neurosis, and psychotic delusions. However, recent studies have identified another side of religion that may serve as a psychological and social resource for coping with stress. After defining the terms religion and spirituality, this paper reviews research on the relation between religion and (or) spirituality, and mental health, focusing on depression, suicide, anxiety, psychosis, and substance abuse. The results of an earlier systematic review are discussed, and more recent studies in the United States, Canada, Europe, and other countries are described. While religious beliefs and practices can represent powerful sources of comfort, hope, and meaning, they are often intricately entangled with neurotic and psychotic disorders, sometimes making it difficult to determine whether they are a resource or a liability."

Can J Psychiatry. 2009;54(5):283-291.

If you are interested in reading the entire paper, you can find it here:

http://hivdatf.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/research-on-religion-spirituality-and-mental-health-a-review.pdf

Research since Watters' book does not support the overly-simple assertion that religion is a mental illness. In 1994, “religious or spiritual problems” was introduced as a category in the DSM-IV and a lot more work has been done since. According to an article in Psychiatric Times, "Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health: Theoretical and Clinical Perspectives" which cites the book Steve quotes from

"The evidence [since Watters] suggests that, on balance, religious involvement is generally conducive to better mental health. In addition, patients with psychiatric disorders frequently use religion to cope with their distress."

The article further states religion on the whole supports mental health although sometimes it contributes to mental illness. The effects depend on the belief system, the religious community, and the religious practices of the individual. Interestingly, spirituality, as opposed to religion, seems to be associated with *higher* rather than lower rates of depression.

In my own counseling practice, the religious beliefs of clients are usually helpful, sometimes harmful, and sometimes unrelated to the problems we are working with. I have had a couple of active Mormon clients whose participation in the church was helpful to them. I have also seen a couple of ex-Mormons for whom the church was harmful.

To read the article yourself, go to

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/1508320?pageNumber=1


You will need to register on the site to read the article.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2013 01:33AM by robertb.

Besides it is kind of scary letting someone else decide which religious beliefs are mental illness. There are a lot of fundies.who may have extreme beliefs who are not mentally ill. Even with those who are ill it is impossible to know if the beliefs are a symptom or the cause

I sometimes think "mental illness" has become the secular equivalent to "sin" on RfM. One fundamental problem with defining fundamentalist religion as mental illness is that such an approach could easily mistake content for process. Mental illness is primarily a process problem. This is another view of caffiend's concern, which I agree with, whether or not that makes me an asshole, also. On that issue, I think Infinite Dreams has made an attribution error. Many mentally ill people refuse treatment due to the nature of their illness, i.e. they are unable to recognize the are ill or are very untrusting. I don't think it is religion per se that causes this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2013 01:36AM by robertb.

I understand that refusing treatment is common across religious lines. I have relatives who are Pentacostals.They believe all sorts of things I consider strange and weird but they are not mentally ill. Theybwere raised that's all and not particularly well educated in science and the US Constitution.