Suddenly, my son’s voice changes and he speaks in a strange voice, and I notice his appearance changing.
My daughter sits talking to someone, saying she sees a jinn and it talks to her.
My wife feels like someone sleeps beside her at night, or something is moving under her skin.
Is this possession or a mental illness?
We notice strange behaviors in some people.
Whenever we see behavior different from ours, the first thing we think of is magic, possession, or envy.
Because that’s the culture we grew up with.
The first place people go is to someone who is known as a sheikh or someone who can “exorcise jinn.”
The tragedy is that what happens with that person is often stranger than what the patient suffers from.
When such a person tells a husband that his wife is possessed by a lover jinn and that to get rid of it, he must sleep with her — this is not treatment, it is…
And when another person keeps beating a little girl with a stick until she dies, even with the father present!
In psychiatry, there is a disorder called schizophrenia.
In this disorder, there is a brain disturbance caused by an imbalance of certain hormones.
The patient experiences two main symptoms:
One is called delusions,
For example, someone may say, “I am the Prophet” or “I am the President.” This is called a delusion of grandeur.
It is a false belief, but the patient is absolutely sure about it, and no matter how much you argue, you cannot change their mind.
If the false belief is doubted or resisted, it is considered obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The second type of delusions is persecutory delusions.
The patient may refuse to eat or drink from someone’s hand, fearing the food is poisoned.
Or get into fights, claiming people are plotting against them.
There is a third type called delusions of reference.
This is when someone believes a TV announcer is talking directly to them, or people on the street are talking about them, pointing at them, or laughing at them.
They may think there are hidden cameras installed in their house or bathroom and might even take a shower with their clothes on.
All these fall under schizophrenia.
There are other disorders like mania with similar symptoms.
Please have mercy on your children and wives by taking them to a psychiatrist and stay away from people who claim the patient is possessed or bewitched.
Always remember the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):
“If the jinn and humans gathered to harm you, they would not harm you except by what Allah has decreed for you.”
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