Hyper Religiosity and Mental Illness
When is religion not a good thing?
Recently, a woman shared on a public forum that her husband had suddenly become very interested in reading the bible more frequently. She believed this to be a good thing. She described it as a “peaceful” activity. She was especially excited and relieved because her husband had previously spent his spare time gambling excessively. She further explained that her husband, several years earlier, had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In past, during a manic episode, he had recklessly gambled away money they didn’t have to spare. It was quite stressful. It was traumatic and overwhelming for her. Life felt so out of control and scary. The bible, therefore, seemed as if it would be a positive.
Overall, then, this felt like a very welcome breath of fresh air to her. But instead, it was the beginning of a nightmare. As time passed, she would soon realize that while faith is sometimes a blessing, it also, when it comes to mental health concerns, can be the start of a wild, dangerous ride. Particularly with something such as bipolar, a heightened interest in religion can be the beginning of a frightening manic state and could be the opening of a door into psychosis.
Hyper Religiosity
In the field of mental health there is a phenomenon known as hyper religiosity.
It is characterized by an elevated tendency for an individual to experience things like rigid religious thinking, religious delusions, an excessive devoutness to faith, being overly focused on religion, religious hallucinations, and intense beliefs. This is not necessarily a comprehensive list - it can show up in other ways, too.
When thinking of mental illness and religion, you might think hyper religiosity would be outrageous and impossible to miss – say a disheveled person stumbling about telling you they are hearing the voice of God or that they themselves are God.
This could be possible. It might be one way it shows up. But it doesn’t always look so extreme. It can actually be far more subtle in a lot of cases. And it can be hard to initially distinguish what is the start of psychosis and/or a bipolar manic episode from simple, harmless religious enthusiasm and commitment.
When we think about delusions and paranoia we might presume, again, that it would all be very over the top and quite obvious. Yet again, this isn’t always the case. Yes, a delusion can be blatantly unreal – an otherwise ordinary individual living life in the suburbs, married and working an average job, could suddenly begin claiming that the government is hunting them down and has implanted tracking devices in their brain or is communication with them through the television. We would instantly recognize that this is odd and peculiar. We would not likely jump to agreeing with them and would instead begin to be concerned about them.
However, the delusions of someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis can sometimes seem quite plausible. This is where it can get tricky. It’s why getting help and a proper diagnosis can be challenging and might take many years.
Consider, for example, that a person may begin telling you that their spouse is cheating. That is entirely within the realm of probability. It may be true. But it could, if the person is beginning to have mental illness related delusions, be entirely false. It’s something which does, unfortunately, happen. In the midst of bipolar mania and bipolar psychosis, the person may suspect their partner and start leveling accusations - yet the spouse is innocent. Such is the case with religion – it can be over the top, or it could seem somewhat reasonable. It can be hard to distinguish and thus mental illness can easily be missed.
What Does Hyper Religiosity During Mental Illness Potentially Look Like?
Real life examples of hyper-religiosity either preceding or in the midst of bipolar mania and/or psychosis might look like:
A woman begins attending church more frequently than she has in past, joins a bible study, studies daily on her own, and suddenly seeks ongoing guidance from the leader of her church. Her behaviors are different from how she has lived in past.
A woman becomes overcome with guilt and shame. She is determined that God is disappointed in her and that her life is meaningless. She begins praying to die and has frequent suicidal thoughts.
A man begins engaging in frequent conversations about God and faith with people in his life. Any chance he can find, he brings up the topic. He suddenly begins to talk about God and the bible to friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers when he is out and about. He became very passionate about reading his bible and other religious materials. He begins to listen to religious content regularly.
A man gets very involved in his church. He attends service weekly and welcomes opportunities to get involved. He also becomes very concerned about being a spiritual leader in his home. He is suddenly intensely distressed that he is not doing it as he should be. He experiences mental anguish as a result.
Faith: Sometimes a Signal of A Brain in Crisis
To be sure, interest in religion and the practice of faith is frequently a positive thing. And for someone with a mental illness, it can be a supportive and valuable aspect of their daily life.
However, a sudden, new, heightened focus on faith or strict adherence to religion can be a potential symptom of mania and hypomania in bipolar. It could signal that the person is experiencing psychosis. This is true especially if things are beginning to escalate to a new levels and wasn’t part of the person’s life previously. It also is concerning if their religious interest is creating problems in their life. Normally, we would see faith being of benefit in a family. With mental illness, a family may begin to fall apart as a result of the individual’s “faith” journey.
Even for trained mental health professionals, it can be a true challenge to make a distinction between healthy religious interest and a religiosity that is a pathology. Some cases are immediately obvious. But many more are far more subtle.
It can help to compare how religion has been present in the individual’s life over time. Is the current presentation the ongoing norm or does something new and different seem to be happening? Further, is this religiosity a blessing in their life or is it suddenly destroying their life and relationships?
An interesting finding came from a study conducted in the United States back in 2001. Researchers determined that the degree of religious involvement predicted the intensity of religious delusions and they found that Protestants were more likely to experience religious related delusions. Another study found that for those who are experiencing a manic episode in bipolar, fifteen to nearly twenty-five person will have religious based delusions.
More interest needs to be paid to this area. Further work needs to be done. Yet what is known now is that we usually see more severe psychotic symptoms in those men and women who present with religious delusions and symptomology. This is why it is critical to pay attention and notice if this symptom is manifesting. Things could get worse for the person and their life. The health of their brain is also at stake - so it is too important to ignore and turn a blind eye. The longer the mental illness goes untreated, the worse the outcome may be for the individual. Untreated bipolar may damage a person’s brain over time. Gray matter in the brain can be harmed and this can lead to complications later in life. Bipolar is a lifelong condition, but it is treatable! Ignoring it won’t make it go away and it can ultimately harm health, emotions, and decision making. If you are noticing these concerns in yourself, please seek help. If you are seeing any of these symptoms in a loved one, please take it seriously and encourage them to pursue treatment.
An unfortunate added element to be mindful of is that many individuals with something such as bipolar lack insight - they cannot see that they are sick and will likely argue with you that they are doing fine (and might say you are the problem). This is actually a known symptom of an illness like bipolar and it has a name - anosognosia. This symptom impairs a person’s ability to understand and even acknowledge that there is a problem. It is why so many don’t seek proper care. As you might suspect, this only leads to worsening of their overall well-being and poorer long-term outcomes. If you suspect someone you know might be having mental health struggles, there is a book which might be useful - I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! by Xavier Amador, a clinical psychologist.
When there is hyper religiosity present, the course of the illness is usually far more severe, and outcomes are unfortunately poorer. This highlights the importance of understanding this more and for being attentive if hyper religiosity is observed or suspected. It is vital to explore what other symptoms are present – perhaps depression and suicidal ideation are noted. These are huge red flags that should not be ignored.