There is no correlation between mind illness and demon possession. Unfortunately there is still throwback to days when all unusual behaviour was credited to demons. I have heard the term “psychotic episode” being synonymous with demon possession. This is a great fallacy and causes all sorts of problems for sufferers and their family.

The question arises over why we insist on holding on to this falsehood and why we mix the experiences of the two states of being. We tend to demonise anything that we do not understand. Sometimes we are just lazy in our thought processes as we do not think about the attitudes that we harbour and spread. We use words like “mad” and “crazy” to describe things we don’t understand and the world of mind illness to still unknown to many.

Suffers are sidelined and penalised by some people for their suffering and it is looked upon as some kind of evil. When going through an episode a sufferer experiences unusual thought processes and sometimes paranoia. These thoughts cause the sufferer to believe things that are not necessarily right. The thought that people are after you for something you have done is very common. Thoughts of guilt which are not true. Thoughts of catastrophes that could happen. Thoughts of blame that bring the sufferer to bad ideas about themselves.

These thoughts can cause voices that back up what thoughts are going through the mind and make it all seem so “real.” Delusion gets added in as well and the mind tries to sort out all the threads of difficulty and come to some conclusion. The mind gets tired and it affects the physical body too. Loss of appetite and sleeping is a major issue as we cannot survive long without these blessings.

The sufferer is trying to get resolution to the thoughts and to try to get the mind to be still. This is very difficult and it can feel like there is no control. As a Christian I have had to trust God and cling to His Word to fortify my mindset and hold on to spiritual realities. The depression can take away a persons assurance of their salvation and this is very painful for the Christian. Reading the Word becomes full of anxiety and all the threatenings of God are in full view. It is hard to disassociate the negativity as it seems to take over the whole mind and life. Thinking you are not a Christian feeds into the demon possession thoughts. A Christian cannot be demon possessed so when the assurance goes, it lays on another layer of pain.

We must wait on the Lord and take whatever helps are offered. Medication can help and the support of other people is invaluable. Unfortunately because of stigma, people tend to back away and leave the sufferer to work it out alone. It is wonderful to have people to talk to and they can help to point us to the Lord and alleviate our fears. Rehearsing the truths of God with another Christian is so helpful. If we do not have anyone then the reality of the presence of God is there.

Time is a wonderful healer and we wait for the storm to pass, and it does eventually. The times of reprieve are times to be thankful for the grace of God which ministers to our need.

Demon possession was rampant at the time of Christ as Satan was on the lose to distress people and try to thwart the work of God. Interest in demons and evil is growing again today as we have moved away from the Lord in our society and Satan seems to have moved in instead. Let us fight all oppression of the mind by using our mind for the blessing of God and others around us. Let us throw off the negativity and depend on our God who overcomes all trials for us and in us.