[Review of the book Religion and morbid mental states

Abstract

Reviews the book, Religion and morbid mental states by H. I. Schou (1926). This series of lectures delivered to a group of clergymen at the University of Copenhagen is an attempt to acquaint spiritual doctors with some of the symptoms, conditions and methods of treatment of those common mental diseases with which they are particularly apt to come in contact. Dr Schou shows that many forms of mental disorder commonly display themselves in some sort or other of religious activity. The book treats particularly of the relations of religion to melancholia, manic depressive insanity, certain incurable diseases--e.g., dementia praecox, religion as a propaedeutic and as a cause of insanity and religion in nervousness and mental degeneration. Brief discussion of each topic is followed by case studies. Nontechnical language is used and the book throughout is simply written--too simply for use as a textbook in classes in abnormal psychology but admirably adapted for its intended audience, clergymen of little or no training in abnormal psychology or psychiatry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)