Across India, many families first visit faith healers when someone behaves unusually.
Faith can give comfort, but conditions such as psychosis, dissociation and epilepsy need medical treatment.
Key concepts
- Treatment and faith can go together
- Delayed treatment of psychosis worsens outcome
- Chaining, beating or starving a person is harmful and illegal
Symptoms and signs
- Hearing voices or seeing things others don't
- Episodes of altered consciousness, shaking or speaking in another voice
- Sudden suspicion, aggression or withdrawal
Causes
- Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia
- Dissociative (conversion) disorders after stress
- Epilepsy, substance use or other medical causes
Risk factors
- Family history of psychosis
- Cannabis or other drug use
- Severe stress or conflict at home
Evidence-based management
- Medical and psychiatric assessment to find the cause
- Antipsychotics, psychotherapy or epilepsy treatment as needed
- Family education and stress reduction
- Prayer and rituals can continue if they comfort the person, without harmful practices
When to seek professional help
- Hearing voices, extreme fear or not sleeping for days
- Aggression or risk to self or others — urgent care
- You can book an online consultation for a confidential assessment
Frequently asked questions
Do psychiatrists disrespect religious beliefs?
No. Beliefs are respected; the aim is to treat illness alongside the person's faith.
Why did the episodes stop after a ritual?
Some stress-related episodes settle with reassurance, but they often return without addressing the cause.
Medical references
Guidelines and official sources used for this article.
- Schizophrenia — fact sheet. World Health Organization.
- ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics. World Health Organization.
- Author
- Dr. Kuldeep Budania, MBBS, MD Psychiatry
- Medical reviewer
- Dr. Kuldeep Budania, MD Psychiatry
- Last reviewed
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for personal medical advice.
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