The suicide death of a young couple Naveen Thomas (39) and his wife Devi (41), along with their friend Arya B Nair (29), was triggered by superstitious beliefs in the afterlife, according to investigation teams. Many news reports claim that the couple had searched online about living on other planets and the possibilities of an afterlife on the Dark Web. While the details are still sketchy, the couple's relatives and people on social media wonder how can three well-educated youngsters get drawn to such superstitions. Can such unthinkable acts have any connection to their mental health? Renowned mental health expert Dr C J John explains:
When to be alert?
A belief that rituals - which may not be always logical - will benefit you in some way or the other is part of our culture, be it through religion or otherwise, says the doctor. "The intensity of the beliefs vary from person to person. In some individuals, it can cross all limits of logic. In such cases, the reasons can be their specific psychological state or even a state of illness. This can lead them to engage in logic-less, superstitious activities as well," he says.
Dr John, however, warns that one cannot speculate what went wrong in the case of the three youngsters. "But, when someone goes to the extent of performing such extreme rituals (inflicting wounds on their bodies to cause blood loss), there are reasons to suspect that their condition passed from a level of belief to a mental illness. While each case can be different, these extreme actions can point to delusional disorders," Dr John says. Since delusional individuals feel that the common public do not subscribe to their views, they can also tend to isolate themselves from the rest. This can also be a symptom, he says.
It's not always faith
In our society, there is a tendency to brush off extremely illogical beliefs with a sweeping statement 'Ororutharude viswasam alle' (To each, their beliefs matter). The doctor says that our society hasn't yet grown to the level of alerting someone that they are being illogical. “We must be able to tell them that they should seek help. This is as important as bringing on an Act about superstitions," the doctor observes.
Doesn't the pain matter?
While superstitious beliefs aren't new to our society, many wonder how youngsters could garner the courage to bleed to death. According to the doctor, those in a mental state of deep delusion will be excited to act as per its ways. "They will plan well, just like in this case where they took medicines to avoid the clotting of blood. Moreover, any kind of suffering or pain becomes irrelevant due to the excitement. It is a mental state similar to that of a suicide bomber, who would be ready to kill himself," he explains.
