Jerusalem Syndrome: The Unusual Psychiatric Condition Affecting Visitors To The "Holy City"

A Isle of Man accused of smashing two 2nd - centuryRomanstatues at the Israel Museum was go through " Jerusalem Syndrome " , fit in to his lawyer .

The 40 - year - old tourist from the US was pick up follow the alleged destruction of two statues , including one of the goddess Athena . After questioning , the Israeli policesaythat the man broke the statue as they were " idolatrous and contrary to the Torah " , while lawyer for the defense say that the adult male was experiencing Jerusalem syndrome at the clip of the incident .

Jerusalem syndrome refers to a set of faith - themed psychotic symptoms experienced by people visiting Jerusalem , a holy city for following of Islam , Judaism , and Christianity .

Though not described as its own recognized condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM ) , enough patient have presented with symptoms that match the syndrome that there is a dedicated facility in Jerusalem – the Kfar Shaul Mental Health Centre – which specialise in treating and research the consideration . Between 1980 and 1993 , 1,200 tourist were referred to the quickness .

Jerusalem Syndrome encompasses an raiment of symptoms and behavior , documented in a review in 2018 . Usually ( though not in all cases ) , affected role have a anterior psychiatric condition , as was the slip for one American tourist who began to identify with the scriptural figure Samson .

" Eventually , he was overcome by a compulsion to come to Israel in monastic order to move one of the gargantuan stone blocks organise the Western ( Wailing ) Wall which , in his notion , was not in the good piazza . On get in at the Western Wall , he attempted to move one of the stones , " a team of psychiatrists wrote in the review . " His activity instigated a fearful rumpus , culminate in police intervention and his locating in the infirmary of the Kfar Shaul Mental Health Centre . "

After being challenged on his identity – against the common advice – he broke a windowpane and take flight through it , return only after a nurse found him at a jalopy stop and told him he had proved himself to have Samson ’s qualities . After a course of antipsychotic medication , the military personnel was capable to render home .

The syndrome always demand on a spiritual aspect . Occasionally , they come as part of a spiritual mathematical group ( " we have it off of three groups presently attempting to ‘ produce ’ a red heifer base on penning contained in the Old Testament " , the follow-up take down ) but largely it happen to individuals who have arrived alone , or with family .

In the strangest grade of the syndrome , visitors with no anterior psychiatrical status go far in Jerusalem ( or elsewhere in Israel ) and have a psychotic sequence , before recovering spontaneously and revert home to their common life .

In this version , spiritual patient role normally essay to slip out from their grouping or family , modernize an obsession with cleanup , and manufacture their own garment , " often with the aid of hotel seam - linen paper , of a long , ankle - length , togalike robe , which is always white " .

Shouting and spill the beans spiritual text is common , as well as visiting a holy site and delivering a discourse whilst there . In this type , developed by 42 patients between 1980 and 1993 , hallucinations are uncommon , and individuals tend to remember their own identicalness rather than believe themselves to be religious image . Treatment of this kind of Jerusalem Syndrome is generally distancing the patient role from Jerusalem , and returning them to their families .

Unfortunately , in this type , patient role are often reluctant ( or too embarrassed ) to talk about the sequence once they are out of it . Nevertheless , Dr. involved in treating the condition have a theory , exchangeable in a way to " Paris Syndrome " .

" Those who give in to type III of the Jerusalem syndrome are unable to deal with the concrete reality of Jerusalem today – a spread appears between their subconscious idealistic image of Jerusalem and the city as it appears in reality , " the team writes . " One might view their psychotic state and , in particular , the need to prophesy their oecumenical content as an attempt to bridge over the disruption between these two representations of Jerusalem . "

The review is published in theBritish Journal of Psychiatry .