Relationship Between Christianity And Psychiatry

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. .According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Norway has a higher rate of psychiatric beds than the OECD average. Norway’s efforts in improving the quality of health care have proven to be effective, as they have had a decrease in suicide rates, fewer hospital beds, and more mental health professionals (Hewlett). Significant advancement in the obtaining of knowledge about mental illnesses has greatly improved doctors’ abilities to make sure they are diagnosing the correct disease as well as their ability to come up with treatment options varying from person-to-person rather than treatments that follow the “one type fits all” concept. This new knowledge has brought people to believe that these disorders are not resulting from a sin but instead are due to physiological and environmental problems. These developments led to better lives for individuals struggling with various diseases, and may result in a cure, as society hopes. Thus, as the world is starting to learn more about mental illness, it has allowed us to gain a greater picture on why mental illnesses take place as well as giving insight on how to cope with the debilitating condition. The transition in the perception of mental illnesses over time has changed greatly because of the transition in the knowledge and the connections made by society. The transition in the perception of mental illnesses is shown through the impact that religion and science had on society, the various criticisms brought upon people who have mental illnesses, and the shift towards more humane and beneficial treatment options available today. During the fourth century, Christianity became a religion of healing through various acts such as prayer, fasting, and exorcism. Nevertheless, the major connection between religion and psychiatry evolved when the church began emphasizing the care of the sick (Boehnlein 13). The increase in attention on medicine and healthcare in the church allowed for expansion of knowledge as well as resources used to help heal various illnesses. Christianity was the powerhouse of medicine, maintaining, and monopolizing the medical field (Boehnlein 14). This monopoly allowed for the expansion of knowledge as well as strengthened the argument that connected God with medicine and health. As a result, religion has encouraged major expansion in the world of medicine. Throughout history, religion and medicine coexisted as a way to justify any illness by saying it was a punishment from God. Katherine Darton solidifies this statement when she states in her article, “Notes of the History of Mental Health Care,” that during prehistoric times, there was no separation between magic, religion, and medicine (Darton). The lack of separation between these various areas was the result of a lack of knowledge about science, and it resulted in many people left untreated or treated incorrectly. Norway’s transition to a Christian nation in the 9th century strengthened the connection between these ideas, because the idea of God justified most claims and punishments (Church of Norway). People’s lack of knowledge and their apathetic attitude towards mental illnesses led to the shaming and ridicule of those who had mental illnesses. In the Middle Ages, mental illness was viewed as demonic possession within various cultures and religions; they associated these unexplainable conditions with religious punishment, as an act of God (Boehnlein 15). This meant that they believed that God was punishing the people who had obtained the mental health disorder. The close connection …show more content…
People linked psychiatric disorders with witchcraft, demonology, and possession (Boehnlein, 14). The link between Christianity and Psychiatry is what helped to strengthen the justification of what was wrong with the person, as well as how to treat them, because people used religion as a way to defend themselves and accuse others of sin when people became sick. This was shown with the link between the two ideas, so people could diagnose the conditions of the people who were considered to have gone mad. The connection of Psychiatry and the Devil allowed people to justify any accusations, punishments, and treatments against those who were mentally ill, without being accused as unjust towards the mentally ill. The impact of religion on society’s perception of mental illnesses was the beginning of the judgment and persecution against those with psychological

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