Demonic Possessions

My muslim friend recently was signed off work with depression and anxiety, since then she has been having these increasingly frequent "episodes" where she growls and howls makes funny faces and gives odd hand gestures, she also tries to self harm during these episodes and has to be restrained whilst her family read passages from the Qua'ran. They believe she is demonically possessed and that they can cure it by restraint and reading. I however believe that she is suffering from psychotic episodes and needs medical help. What are your views on this and the general subject of demonic possessions?

 

"I however believe that she is suffering from psychotic episodes and needs medical help".

I couldn't have said it any better. I don't believe what their family says at all. I just think your friend needs some medical help.

 

I would have to agree as well. Since I don't believe in demons, I would find it hard to be possessed by one.

 

The only ones that seem remotely demonicly possessed is her family, withholding her the farmaceutical mightyness of big corporate America.

 

yeah its a shame though, because I know if I say something then her family would put me out on my backside all because they are too proud to say yep, my daughter has a psychological illness.

On the subject of demonic possessions in general though, i sometimes don't know what to believe, there are things that can't be easily explained away and just makes you wonder if there maybe is something supernatural to cause this.

 

ps...im from Scotland...not America, but yep same goes - there's plenty of help on the all magical NHS :lol: :yup:

 

Mash, please don't double post. Just edit your first post.

I can't blame her family though. When you don't know what you're doing is wrong (and in fact think it's what you're supposed to do), you think people who try and tell you otherwise are completely in the wrong. Kinda like when parents give excuses about their kid's bad behavior - 'they don't know any better.'

 

You should inform a doctor of what is happening so they can take medical custody of her from her parents. To be as frank as possible; she isn't possessed, she's batshit crazy and a danger to herself and anyone around her. You ought to do the responsible thing and inform the proper authorities.

 

Wow. Calling someone "batshit" is extremely disrespectful. It's not like she made bad choices that ended her up in this state. Obviously, she does need medical attention and a mental evaluation, but that's no reason to call her batshit. When you're raised in a certain way, when you parents and everyone around you tells you that it's not depression or anxiety, but demons, what are you supposed to believe? When religion takes the place of reason in a person's life, it's hard to logically explain things like this.

 

The only time I would be convinced of demonic possession would be if physically impossible things started to happen (aka...crawling on the ceiling), other than that I'm unconvinced.

Lots of times things that seem strange turn out to be a medical condition (watching House makes me think everything's a medical condition). It is hard to avoid religion though, if that is the main and strong belief system in their household. If it becomes severe I think it's best to call the cops/authorities in on this, as it can lead to very permanent damage :S.

 

I'm sorry, perhaps you're unaware of that term's manner of use or typical meaning? It isn't an insult, sunshine - it's used for emphasis, so cool those jets before you burn out. As for disrespectful, it probably is, but then again, this probably isn't the best website to be on if you're looking for people that behave respectfully at all times. A cursory glance at the debate and spam forum should prove that for you.

And trust me - if you don't like it, pissing moaning and whining like a little girl about it, as you just did, isn't going to get you anywhere.

Due to her being mentally unwell, she ought not to have a say in what she thinks it is anyway. Even if her ass backwards 1500s-mentality-family has convinced her it's demons and she needs a hole drilled in her head to let the evil spirits out ASAP, it doesn't matter.

Lastly, the family lives in Great Britain. Last time I checked, Great Britain was a highly modern democratic nation very similar to the United States. Those people may have their own culture and the right to retain it, but the laws and rights of the nation supersede them. What they are doing is child endangerment, and deprivation of medical care. Whether they are doing it for religious reasons or not is completely and utterly irrelevant, they are clearly unfit to make medical decisions for their daughter and someone needs to inform a doctor so she can get the treatment she needs whether her family likes it or not.

 

Legal guardians are completely within their own rights to withhold medical attention from their child for religious reasons. Know your rights before you preach them. Oh, and to emphasise my point, you're batshit.

I'm sorry, perhaps you're unaware of this term's manner of use of typical meaning? It's a term of enderment, asshole. You talk about respect like it's unheard of on this forum. I call BS. I guess the only reason you don't really see a whole lot of respect is you have to show a little to get a little.

 

You seem only to know one side of the law - conveniently, the side that would support your argument. Parents are within their rights to withhold medical treatment from their child for religious reasons provided it does not greatly endanger the child. This is why doctors have the ability to take medical custody of their patients away from their parents, if the doctor believes the parent is wrongfully withholding treatment, be it for religious reasons or otherwise. Furthermore, I don't know if you're familiar with UK law, but in Great Britain it is indeed a crime to purposely deprive a child of necessary medical care if it constitutes child endangerment - which in this case, it most certainly does.

It seems derision and sarcasm are at a loss here. That isn't entirely surprising, given that you can't seem to comprehend the most basic principle of a simple law.

I most certainly did not. I said you were in the wrong place if you expect people to be respectful at all times. Particularly in the debate section, things quite often get rather heated here.

Lastly, I'll show you respect when your mediocre understanding of the topic at hand warrants it. So far, you have displayed nothing but a profound lack of understanding of this situation and the laws associated with it, yet you have stayed and attempted to debate it - and whine incessantly about my manner of writing, apparently. This commands no respect. When you know what you're talking about, I'll speak to you as if you do. Until then, you'll continue to draw my contempt, and deservingly so.

 

Conveniently, the only part of a law that I address was the only one that pertained to the argument at hand. Depression and anxiety are no where near life threatening, so I saw no great endangerment.

Picking out little pieces of your opponents argument where they may have omitted parts of their own point that don't even relate to the actual argument isn't a great way to actually win a debate, although it does sound pretty.

 

Are you as dense as you are ignorant? Do you not even realise that you just quoted "she also tries to self harm during these episodes and has to be restrained" along with the rest of that? I wonder, are you so stupid that you actually missed it or did you purposely ignore it because it completely obliterates that pathetic attempt at defending your mediocre understanding of the subject? According to the original post (which, I state again for emphasis, you just quoted) she is not "just depressed". She is attempting to self-harm. I realise that this particular part of the post in question renders your only defence of your argument inert - along with pointless, feeble and stupid - and I realise my posts exposes it as such, but that is no reason to blatantly ignore them.

She is attempting to harm herself. She behaves erratically, and has to be restrained. She is clearly a danger to herself and others around her and requires medical treatment. If her parents are denying her it, it is indeed grounds for a relocation of medical custody. What her parents are doing is wrong. There is no "opinion" here, there's no grey area. There is just simple, legal fact - and if you disagree, you are wrong. You sit there and type "2 + 2 = 5" until your fingers fall off, but it won't make it true. You can say "well I just happen to think 2 + 2 = 5 and that's my opinion", but believe me, it isn't going to help your case. There is no debate to be had here. Her parents are wrong. If you don't think so, you are wrong.

 

I think her parents are dead wrong, but no one else is trying to defend them, so I figured I would. I agree with most of the substance to your argument, unfortunately, no one tried defending the parents. I am dense and I am ignorant, but I quoted it for a reason. They restrain her. They are fending off harm in their own way. Although it isn't your way, they are dealing with it in a physical manner, rather than just praying she won't self-harm.

A lot of this argument is just circumstance, since we only have a paragraph to go on. We don't know the severity of her depression, nor anxiety. We don't know how she self-harms. Cuts across the street? That's for attention. Cuts down stream? Now that needs medical attention. Oh, and 2 + 2 does equal 5. Google it.

 

It isn't "my way". It's "the right way". I'm aware that sounds remarkably arrogant, so I'll immediately concede that my way isn't the right way for everything, but in this case, it is.

Actually, in trying to "banish a demon" from her rather than seeking medical help, that's exactly what they're doing.

This isn't always true. People attempting suicide by cutting horizontally are often just attention seekers, but people attempting to self harm aren't always suicidal. Plenty of people who have no intention of killing themselves cut up their forearm and wrist simply because it's a delicate and easily accessed and easily hidden area. Again, self harm =/= suicide attempt, but self harm always requires medical attention if it is habitual or accompanied by other abnormal behaviour.

 

At least they restrain her. :|

I agree with you completely that you're way if right, but in the view point of the family, they are right. Rather than getting an evaluation or any other medical attention, the way, in their minds, that's correct is reading passages of the Qua'ran to "banish a demon". They could be drilling holes in her skull to release the demon...

 

wow this has gotten rather heated lol. My friend has some SERIOUSLY deep rooted issues and i think may be severely depressed.

she is trying to self harm whenever she has these episodes of which she has no memory of doing so I dont know, shes told me she tried to commit suicide in the past.

Ive just spoken to her today and she is going to see a psychiatrist and a councillor so I'm hoping that she will begin on the long road of recovery, oh but not before she goes down to england to see someone who can get rid of this demon.

Please also debate on the topic as a whole and not just my special case, I find this topic really interesting.