Moral Injury, Trance and Possession State or a Schizophrenic Illness
Moral injury, characterised by intense cognitive and emotional distress following an event that violates one’s ethical beliefs, has been primarily associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, its role in the development of primary psychotic disorders remains underexplored. This case repo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nigerian Journal of Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/NJM.NJM_4_24 |
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| author | Oluwatomiwa Charles Ajayi Arit Esangbedo Abisola A. Lawal Abimbola Oladapo Olanrewaju Temitope I. Ojo Olufemi Talabi |
| author_facet | Oluwatomiwa Charles Ajayi Arit Esangbedo Abisola A. Lawal Abimbola Oladapo Olanrewaju Temitope I. Ojo Olufemi Talabi |
| author_sort | Oluwatomiwa Charles Ajayi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Moral injury, characterised by intense cognitive and emotional distress following an event that violates one’s ethical beliefs, has been primarily associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, its role in the development of primary psychotic disorders remains underexplored. This case report presents a 22-year-old Nigerian male with a conservative Christian background who developed schizophrenia following an experience of moral injury. After receiving prophecies discouraging premarital intercourse, he began exhibiting symptoms of mental illness a month after coitarche, including intrusive flashbacks, excessive guilt, and disorganised thoughts. Seven months later, he presented with psychotic symptoms, including beliefs of possession, altered voice textures, and self-harm. A diagnosis of schizophrenia was considered, and treatment with Olanzapine led to significant improvement within two weeks. The case highlights the potential for moral injury to precipitate psychotic disorders, possibly influenced by cultural and religious beliefs. These findings suggest the need for further studies on the relationship between moral injury and primary psychosis, as well as the impact of sociocultural factors on psychiatric phenomenology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-df6666f5839148e3a5406159bb3b3ffc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1115-2613 2667-0526 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nigerian Journal of Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-df6666f5839148e3a5406159bb3b3ffc2025-08-20T03:24:32ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsNigerian Journal of Medicine1115-26132667-05262025-01-01341767910.4103/NJM.NJM_4_24Moral Injury, Trance and Possession State or a Schizophrenic IllnessOluwatomiwa Charles AjayiArit EsangbedoAbisola A. LawalAbimbola Oladapo OlanrewajuTemitope I. OjoOlufemi TalabiMoral injury, characterised by intense cognitive and emotional distress following an event that violates one’s ethical beliefs, has been primarily associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, its role in the development of primary psychotic disorders remains underexplored. This case report presents a 22-year-old Nigerian male with a conservative Christian background who developed schizophrenia following an experience of moral injury. After receiving prophecies discouraging premarital intercourse, he began exhibiting symptoms of mental illness a month after coitarche, including intrusive flashbacks, excessive guilt, and disorganised thoughts. Seven months later, he presented with psychotic symptoms, including beliefs of possession, altered voice textures, and self-harm. A diagnosis of schizophrenia was considered, and treatment with Olanzapine led to significant improvement within two weeks. The case highlights the potential for moral injury to precipitate psychotic disorders, possibly influenced by cultural and religious beliefs. These findings suggest the need for further studies on the relationship between moral injury and primary psychosis, as well as the impact of sociocultural factors on psychiatric phenomenology.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/NJM.NJM_4_24case reportdissociationdissociative schizophreniadissociative trance disordermoral injurypossession trance disordertrance and possession disordertrance and possession state |
| spellingShingle | Oluwatomiwa Charles Ajayi Arit Esangbedo Abisola A. Lawal Abimbola Oladapo Olanrewaju Temitope I. Ojo Olufemi Talabi Moral Injury, Trance and Possession State or a Schizophrenic Illness Nigerian Journal of Medicine case report dissociation dissociative schizophrenia dissociative trance disorder moral injury possession trance disorder trance and possession disorder trance and possession state |
| title | Moral Injury, Trance and Possession State or a Schizophrenic Illness |
| title_full | Moral Injury, Trance and Possession State or a Schizophrenic Illness |
| title_fullStr | Moral Injury, Trance and Possession State or a Schizophrenic Illness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Moral Injury, Trance and Possession State or a Schizophrenic Illness |
| title_short | Moral Injury, Trance and Possession State or a Schizophrenic Illness |
| title_sort | moral injury trance and possession state or a schizophrenic illness |
| topic | case report dissociation dissociative schizophrenia dissociative trance disorder moral injury possession trance disorder trance and possession disorder trance and possession state |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/NJM.NJM_4_24 |
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