A 48 YEAR OLD FEMALE PSYCHIATRIC CASE
The first step in solving the mystery of Sarah’s behaviour involved delving into her past. An interest in religion was nothing new... moreA 48 YEAR OLD FEMALE PSYCHIATRIC CASE
The first step in solving the mystery of Sarah’s behaviour involved delving into her past. An interest in religion was nothing new for her; she had shown spells of fundamentalist religious interest since the age of 13. This would periodically return but it was never long-lasting.
It was first presumed Sarah had schizophrenia because of her auditory hallucinations, but she did not fit the classical symptoms.
When a brain scan revealed a tumour, psychiatrist Sebastian Walther realised her brain network has been ‘disturbed’ in a very critical spot, affecting the way she experiences sounds. Walther estimates the tumour could have been there since adolescence, which was also when her religious interest began.
Once Walther studied her medical history and symptoms, he noted she had had only four ‘periods of symptoms’ and they were always the same: she would hear divine voices, feel extremely religious, and bond to religious groups. But this inter... less
