Evaluating an Experienced Psychiatrist's Assessment of Possession from a Catholic Perspective

Abstract

This study is focused on Richard Gallagher, M.D. an Ivy League-educated psychiatrist, a “man of science,” who is especially knowledgeable about spiritual affliction. He is a well-known consultant to exorcists in the United States. Gallagher relies on empirical evidence and typically defers to naturally occurring, scientific explanations for his patients’ ailments. In addition, as a practicing Catholic, he recognizes the possibility of a spiritual component to his patient’s problems and approaches cases that defy traditional medical taxonomy with a mixture of belief and healthy skepticism. Interviews and discussions presented here explore how Gallagher differentiates cases of a spiritual nature from mental illness and will help those in the field gain a better grasp of the boundary between the psychological and spiritual. Understanding his work also helps to define the role of the mental health practitioner and how spirituality and science can appropriately collaborate to assist suffering individuals. Clarity in the differentiation of spirit possession and associated psychological disorders, while not always possible, assists in ensuring that patient receive appropriate care when signs of both possession and mental illness are present. For Gallagher, treatment and diagnosis require a balance of knowledge, openness, and skepticism from relevant parties is essential.