Mental Health Update

This is a classic:

The patient experienced his body being taken over by her spirit and also heard the voice of the ghost commenting on his actions and commanding him to act. These are classic first rank symptoms, first listed by psychiatrist Kurt Schneider as being particularly distinctive of schizophrenia.

Western medical belief systems led us to a differential diagnosis of dissociative state or paranoid schizophrenia. However, we were conscious that the beliefs of at least four priests from three different religions cast doubt on the delusional nature of the phenomena.

Exorcism having failed, we prescribed trifluoperazine (4mg daily) producing apparent remission. Following return to remand prison, he was commenced on a depot neuroleptic, zuclopenthixol decanoate, remaing in remission 12 weeks later following hospital transfer.

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