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[-] protist@retrofed.com 67 points 4 days ago

I worked inpatient psych for many years and have seen hundreds of cases of acute mania, one common symptom of which is hyperreligiosity. I've absolutely seen people give away all their money to what we would perceive as good causes. On many occasions, I've seen people let strangers who are homeless move into their homes because they wanted to help them. I've seen people give away all their belongings to people less fortunate. I've also seen the gradual horror dawn on their faces after they start stabilizing and realize what they've done

[-] morto@piefed.social 23 points 4 days ago

your comment makes me think about the many things we probably have a very biased perception of, because we only know about what the media reports

[-] protist@retrofed.com 18 points 4 days ago

Oh yeah, the general public has no fucking clue what actual psychiatric disorders look like, and that includes the media

Yes, and when religious people have a psychotic episode, the whole mess usually revolves around religion. Including burning or cutting a religious symbol on your skin.

[-] protist@retrofed.com 16 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It's much more complex than that. Religious delusions are culturally bound. I've seen hyperreligiosity in Hindus, New Age Crystal practitioners, and even atheists. Atheists may have a supreme feeling of being one with the earth. All of this is often paired with increased goal directed activity, lack of sleep, and some truly bizarre plans.

I've personally never seen anyone burn or cut a religious symbol on themselves based in psychosis though. Self injury like that is more often a sign of borderline personality traits rather than an axis I psychiatric disorder.

this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2026
387 points (97.1% liked)

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