Did Evagrius Ponticus (AD 346-99) have obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Evagrius Ponticus was one of the most important and influential spiritual writers in the early Christian church. This author argues that he suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder: in particular, the demonic 'thoughts' which he repeatedly describes meet all the criteria for obsessions. If this is true, it offers a new perspective on the relation between pastoral theology and psychiatric disorders: the spiritual tradition which Evagrius helped found may, as a result, have tended to exacerbate such symptoms in others, but it also possessed the resources to address them in a practical way.
Hill
Jonathan
J
Faculty of philosophy, University of Oxford, UK. jcr_hill@hotmail.com
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002835:Christianity / Q000266:history*; D003863:Depression / Q000266:history; D005197:Famous Persons; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000266:history*; D014421:Turkey