Premium
Suicide Associated With the Antichrist Delusion
Author(s) -
Reeves Roy R.,
Liberto Vincent
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2006.00079.x
Subject(s) - delusion , psychiatry , suicide prevention , poison control , psychology , psychoanalysis , medicine , medical emergency
The Antichrist delusion is a relatively infrequently observed religious delusion. Some cases of the Antichrist delusion have been associated with violence toward others. The aim of this article is to document a case of suicide secondary to the delusion. At age 17 a woman with no history of mental illness developed the belief that she was the Antichrist. For several years she did not discuss this with anyone and functioned appropriately in society. Then, at age 32, after the birth of her first child, her delusion intensified and she ultimately committed suicide to protect others from the harm she felt she was destined to cause them. The Antichrist delusion as a misidentification state may involve danger to a patient who harbors the delusion, as well as to other individuals.