Religious Delusions in Counter-Culture Patients
PERITZ LEVINSON M.D.1
1 An Associate in Psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.
Messianic delusions—until now rather rare and poorly understood—appear to be increasing in incidence and to be influenced by the values of the counter culture. The author identifies the principal clinical features of delusions: the belief in one's omnipotence and omniscience, the avoidance of affect-laden experiences and thoughts, the pursuit of asceticism, the experience of exalted mystical states, and the tendency to form symbiotic relationships that are devoid of meaningful emotional investment. The author discusses the treatment of this difficult problem and offers observations from his clinical experience.
