We believe that without the will of God no sorrow can come to us; we accept every sorrow, as coming from the hand of God, with reverent obedience to the will of God, with thanksgiving, with the glorification of the all-good God, incomprehensible in His ways, wondrous in all His works." 23. Question: Tell us about mental disorders caused by demonic influence.

Mental disorders can also appear as a result of the action of evil spirits on a person. In the Holy Scriptures, evil spirits are depicted entering people and leaving them (Matt. 4:24; Mk. 1:23; Lk. 4:35, etc.). A particularly striking example is the Lord's healing of the Gadarene demoniac man. This unfortunate man dragged out his life not in human dwellings, but in sepulchral caves; he beat against a stone with foam on his lips, emitted screams.

They tried to bind him, but he, like ropes, tore the fetters. What kind of disease is it? Unbelievers will say: a falling disease, a nervous disorder. But of the Gadarene possessed man it cannot be said that he was only nervously upset; this is evident from the following: the demons expelled from the unfortunate asked Christ for permission to enter the herd of pigs. The Saviour gave permission, and behold, the flock threw itself from the steep slope into the sea (Matt. 8:28-32). Who drowned the pigs?

Not the demoniac who sat at the feet of the Lord, but a legion of demons cast out of him. As a result of possession by an evil spirit, the soul becomes unnatural, it languishes and suffers. In the Holy Scriptures, the possessed are directly and clearly distinguished from people possessed by mental and physical illnesses. The latter, as indicated, develop from a disorder of the mental powers, imagination, reason, etc.

Perhaps two circumstances distinguish a demon-possessed person from, so to speak, a genuine psychotic. First, evil spirits know God, tremble before the power of the Cross of Christ, prayer, Epiphany water, and the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Secondly, mental (mainly behavioral) disorders in demon-possessed people have a tinge of violence. For the soul of man is disgusted by that which the evil one compels him to do. Archbishop John (Shakhovskoy)

in his book "The Philosophy of Orthodox Pastorship" he gives the following distinctions between the described states. In his opinion, demoniac can be called such states when a person loses all self-consciousness. The soul is under the strongest demonic influence. Possession is the partial captivity of the soul by an evil force. In ordinary reality, we become obsessed when we become enslaved to our passions and vices. Everything is the will of God.

The Lord allows others to fall into the weakness of possession, because He knows that man uses his mind and will for evil; others, perhaps, he protects them from grievous sins. We read in the Epistle to the Corinthians in the Holy Apostle Paul: ... to be delivered over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 5:5). 24. Question: Explain the term "borderline states".

There is a large group of mental disorders, referred to in the clinic as "borderline states" (functional, i.e., fundamentally reversible mental pathology). This group includes neuroses, neurosis-like states, some types of depressive disorders, psychosomatic states, acquired forms of psychopathy, etc. 25. Question: Tell us about neuroses.

Borderline neuropsychiatric disorders, among which neuroses occupy a significant place, firmly hold a leading position in a wide group of mental illnesses. According to the World Health Organization, about 10% of the population of industrialized countries suffer from neuroses, and over the past 65 years, their number has increased 24 times. The incidence of neuroses in Russia is 20-25 people per 1000 population.

This is only the recorded incidence and, rather, it can be considered as the tip of the iceberg. Neuroses, like an epidemic, are spreading everywhere. It is known that from 30 to 65% of visitors to general practitioners are people with pronounced neurotic symptoms. There is a sad joke among specialists who study this pathology: instead of asking whether a person suffers from neurosis, it is necessary to ask what kind of neurosis he suffers from.

In the last decade, the problems associated with the origin of neuroses have begun to be actively reconsidered. The attitude towards this disease as a mild mental dysfunction is changing significantly. The principle of functionality (easy reversibility) is not confirmed by modern clinical practice. According to data published in the press, recovery from neuroses occurs in less than 40-50% of patients.

It has been established that only 10% of patients recover in the first three years of the disease. Often the suffering lasts for years and even decades. According to the definition adopted in our country, neurosis is a psychogenic (arising on a nervous basis) neuropsychiatric disorder, which is formed as a result of a violation of especially significant life relations of a person.

Simply put, neurosis develops when a person, due to various circumstances, cannot find a suitable way out of a difficult situation, resolve a psychologically significant situation or endure some tragedy. 26. Question: List the main symptoms of neuroses. The symptoms of a neurotic breakdown are well-known: low mood, irritability, insomnia, a feeling of internal discomfort, lethargy, apathy, loss of appetite.

All these symptoms are accompanied by general malaise, unpleasant bodily sensations, and vegetative disorders. Manifestations of neuroses can be generally referred to as a stable loss of mental peace. In neurosis, a person retains clear criticism, is burdened by his condition, but cannot help himself.