Editor: In a previous piece written maybe three years ago, I discounted occult systems such as voodoo and obeah as having nothing to do with the onset of mental illness.

However, having received a lot of new information, and also having observed and interacted with patients who have dabbled in these systems, the REALITY is quite different.{{more}}

Most Vincentians feel any way that when a person becomes afflicted with mental illness, ‘is somebody who put him so’ or else there is a voodoo curse on such individual, or he/she is a victim of an obeah spell.

Scientific sources will tell you that mental illness is hereditary and based on definite physical causes, including a deficiency or chemical imbalance in the brain. The fact is both schools of thought are somewhat correct. In our mental health system there are all sorts of patients. There are a few who have never revisited the mental home on their first official diagnosis and lead relatively uncomplicated lives, because the society at large really does not know that they were/are in the system, therefore less discrimination occurs for them.

What does the Christian Bible say about this? Jesus Christ himself healed mentally ill individuals and these were possessed by demons, which he cast out.

The fact is demons are everywhere where there is spiritual aberration and there is a lot of that in St Vincent. This phenomenon has even been featured in this newspaper, regarding a young lady who began to act out satanically in the vicinity of the post office and had to be subdued by a religious figure. There is also the case in the Grenadines where an entire school was affected with students displaying the symptoms of demon possession.

I ascribe to the Christian view to an extent. However, the Eastern concept of Karma, in other words ‘you reap what you sow,’ also applies. Dabbling in negative occult paths, will find you incarcerated in a place such as the Mental Health Centre, if not in this life, then in a life to follow. Going down the road of obeah and voodoo, will also take you off any positive spiritual outcome, in the future to follow (Heaven).

To elaborate on a previous point, there are some patients who thrive at mental home and are relatively happy and who have a spiritual outlook on life.

People may be shaking their heads, asking well what is the writer doing at the Mental Health Centre, did someone put him so, did he do bad things? Controversially for YOU, I did in past lives, but I also did good in those aspects, in terms of my mission to highlight, educate, enrich the lives of those unfortunate enough to fall prey to the many elements which indicate a bad experience for someone who is mentally ill.

One thing leads to another and pornography is a sure guarantee if pursued in abandon, to connect you to voodoo and black magic, since there are often links in pornography which entail worship of Satan.

Which brings me to my first case; let’s call him Kenneth. Kenneth does not have hereditary indications as someone who came to the Mental Health Centre. He is about 23, is smart as a whip and a little cunning too. Kenneth is one of thousands of young men and teenagers who dabble without consequences of the cause, and do weed and drink. When I he came to the MHC, we interacted, shared our thoughts on different spiritual paths, including his involvement in voodoo. He found the voodoo link on a pornography site.

There is one other patient who admitted that to me, a situation in similar circumstances.

Then, there is L, an elderly lifer at MHC, who confessed that he had practised obeah and that he knows that’s why he is there. Kenneth has had two return visits to MHC and has displayed violent tendencies and a scattered sort of behaviour, which goes beyond his diagnosis.

To round out this comment, there are Christians who participate in a phenomenon known as ‘Praying against people’.

The minute you approach God as a means of getting even or effecting evil outcomes for those victims of prayer, God turns you right over to the devil. ‘Praying against people’ puts you in the role of black magician and power, a concept very popular today in Vincy society.

Are we ever going to progress spiritually in the role of protectors, preservers of our country? Food for thought.

Colin King