Does religion cause mental illness or does it just attract the mentally ill?.?

Question

I really don't know what to think about this one.

Answer 1

Maybe a bit of both.

Research has shown that there is a genetic tendency to be a believer, so it's a mental defect to start with. However, I think religion exacerbates the condition, turning merely irrational people into full-blown nutcases.

Answer 2

Everyone is born an atheist, there is no doubt about that. Sometimes mental illness is from genetics, off balanced chemistry..most of which can be fixed with proper nutrition. Religion is for people who purposely seek to become delusional and live in a separate world. These people need to be accepted by a group. Most people who suffer from mental illness do not have a choice in the matter.

Answer 3

Not all people who have religious belifs are mentally ill, and if a person is inclined to be nutz, ANYTHING, including religion can be a trigger.

There are people who go overboard on a lot of things, not just religion. There are sports fans who are mentally ill, and people who obsess over celebrities to the point of being mentally ill. Yet no one slams sports or entertainment, do they?

There are some that become addicted to romance and sex. Some go overboard who get overinvolved in politics, dieting, heck one could even develop an addition to yahoo!answers lol...

Answer 4

Religions are memes that have actually done rather well for some societies.

However is does seem like they will become extinct in the new environment that humanity is creating with the rapid expansion of science and rationality over the last 200 years or so. Although the rapid splitting into various sub-species - seen most in Christianity - may allow some of these memes to survive this extinction event.

Answer 5

Religion doesn't cause mental illness. It just gives a structure to people's delusions. For example, my cousin is schizophrenic and she's also a Christian. So she interprets her visual and auditory hallucinations as the voice or presence God, Satan, angels, demons etc. And she thinks this gives her some special significance is the fight between good and evil, heaven and hell, what have you.

Answer 6

The answer is yes It can do both but usualy if its a minority religion like a cult, i knew a young man that ended up in a mental instution after becoming a jehovas witness, but i suppose it depends on the individual if there obsesive it can make them ill Religion made my grandfather extremly mentaly ill hes dead now but before he go religion he was fine he was a nice man until he got religion..

Answer 7

"mentally ill" , means that the person experiences all by himself mental troubles. It is true that people who accepted jesus into their life often accompany this major event with a confession about some nasty things of their past. Such people seem to be attracted by religion in my opinion.

Answer 8

Mental illnesses are usually a chemical imbalance in the brain and are unrelated to religion.

Since diabetes (a lack of insulin) is recognised as an illness, why isn't depression (a lack of seratonin) or bi-polar (a genetic illness) so recognized?

Answer 9

Religion does not cause mental illness and the mentally ill are attracted to anything that they can perceive as giving them stability (religion, work, chat rooms, etc) &/or a way to place blame for their situation on something other than themselves (could be religion, could be counseling, could be parenting, any excuse!)

There have been scientific studies that have shown a positive link between good health and a strong personal faith (note i said faith, not religion! 2 very different things!!)

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/therapies/spiritualityandmentalhealth.aspx
http://mentalhealth.about.com/library/sci/0501/blfaith501.htm
http://mentalhealth.about.com/library/sci/0501/blfaith501.htm
http://ebooks.ebookmall.com/title/faith-26-mental-health-koenig-ebooks.htm

Answer 10

I believe in God not religion.Religion was born out of the need to control the common people with fear and shame, which has done nothing but bring misery down upon the human race. Look at what is going on all over the world someone is fighting about their religion right now; their freedom to practice it, to share it, to become it (those are the people who think they are God), Like a leader we all know...., their land being Holy, its just dirt, who's not holy enough to live there, and so on. so My answer is YES!!! to both.