Ignorance and Superstition

Ignorance and Superstition

'Sir, I tried to persuade mom, many times. But she was not listening.' Sujit's brother said to me. Sujit was 24 years old (name has been changed). He was working as a salesman in Mumbai, since 2016. In 2018, suddenly he started behaving differently. He won't stay put in a place. He didn't sleep at night. He used to blabber continuously and incoherently. He was suspicious of his neighbours. He thought they were plotting something against him. Because of that, sometimes he became aggressive. His villagers told his parents that someone might have possessed him. They suggested to take him to the nearest Dargah. Once there, he was beaten with whip, kept in chains. As he was chained and flogged, whatever was possessing him will leave his body, this is superstition. Even though this was performed 2-3 times, it made no difference, hence, they decided to take him to one of the bigger Dargah. Nothing changed, they got the same results as before. Later, someone advised them to go to a Pandit. Even after taking him there twice, it wasn't fruitful. They didn't want this pseudoscience episode to get themselves in trouble, so, deciding it was some mental illness and not a possession; they took him to CPR hospital in Kolhapur. The doctors advised them to admit him, so that they could start with his treatment immediately. His mom insisted him to be at home, no matter what happens to him. Here as well, his mom's behaviour was to be blamed. Rather than admitting him there, they took him to a Bhakt, as per someone's suggestion. This was a case where medicinal treatment would have brought disease under control in 1-2 months and he would have fully recovered within 5-6 months. The patient was enduring the disease for 8-10 months, on top of that he was enduring many inhuman sufferings like flogging and chaining, under the guise of 'treatment'.

Many patients who suffer from mental illness have to suffer through these superstitious practices. These practices don't cure the illness, instead they end up being permanent. The patients have to suffer these diseases for a lifetime. It's because of their parent's wrong decision. Not only illiterate, but literate and high-ranked people also fall into the trap of superstitious believes. Out of the concern for the patient, the want to make them better, as soon as possible and because of that rather than being beneficial, it causes damage. If you believe in a thing, then you should definitely believe in it, instead of spending 2-4 years in these practices and then turning to medicine. Try giving a chance to medical help for 6-8 months. A new life awaits that patient and even for you.

Dr Atul Dhage

Psychiatrist & Sexologist