BELIEF IN DEMONS AND EXORCISM IN PSYCHIATRIC-PATIENTS IN SWITZERLAND

Belief in demons as the cause of mental health problems is a well-know n phenomenon in many cultures of the world. However, there is little l iterature on this phenomenon in Protestant subcultures of the West. Th e author conducted a systematic investigation of the prevalence of thi s attribution in 343 mainly Protestant out-patients of a psychiatric c linic in Switzerland, who described themselves as religious. Of these, 129 (37.6 per cent) believed in the possible causation of their probl ems through the influence of evil spirits, labelling this as 'occult b ondage' or 'possession'. One hundred and four patients (30.3 per cent) sought help through ritual 'prayers for deliverance' and exorcism. Pr evalence of such practices was significantly related to diagnosis (p < .01) and to church affiliation (p < .005). Patients in charismatic fr ee churches suffering from anxiety disorders and schizophrenia reporte d the highest rate of exorcistic rituals (70 per cent), and patients w ith adjustment disorders from traditional state churches the lowest (1 4 per cent). The various forms and functions of these healing rituals are described. Although many patients subjectively experienced the rit uals as positive, outcome in psychiatric symptomatology was not improv ed. Negative outcome, such as psychotic decompensation, is associated with the exclusion of medical treatment and coercive forms of exorcism .