Ep252: Religion & Psychiatry - Dr Chencho Dorji & Dr Caroline Van Damme

Guru Viking Podcast

In this episode I host a dialogue between Dr Chencho Dorji, Bhutan’s first psychiatrist and the Professor of Psychiatry at Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences, and Dr Caroline Van Damme, an adult psychiatrist and family and systemic psychotherapist specialising in chronic psychotic disorders. Drs Dorji and Van Damme dialogue about their experiences as psychiatrists in very different countries, Bhutan and Belgium. They compare their experiences treating religious psychosis in which patients believe they are Jesus or Padmasambhava, address mental health stigma, and examine the interaction of supernatural beliefs such as spirit possession with modern psychiatry. The Drs discuss the emerging mental health laws in Bhutan, including forced treatment laws, innovative treatment models, and pressures from pharmaceutical companies. The Drs also consider the pros and cons of religion to both society and the individual, examine three levels of Bhutanese Buddhism, and reflect on the dire consequences of the death of Christianity in Europe. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep252-religion-psychiatry-dr-chencho-dorji-dr-caroline-van-damme Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:16 - How they met 03:44 - Dr Chencho’s visit to the Night Hospital in Belgium 05:12 - Dr Chencho’s side of the story 06:07 - Fascination with the ‘Night Hospital’ model 08:33 - Sharing models between countries 09:39 - Not trying to cure 12:36 - Mental health challenges in developed vs developing countries 15:04 - Psychiatry is a simple science 17:26 - Negligence of psychotic patients 19:01 - Stigma around mental illness 23:03 - Pressure from pharmaceutical companies 25:53 - Mental health laws in Bhutan 30:17 - Forced treatment laws in Belgium 39:15 - Complications of supernatural beliefs in Bhutan 41:28 - Getting the family on side 45:02 - Anti-psychiatry beliefs 46:57 - Psychosis or spirit possession? 49:25 - Dangers of marijuana 55:38 - Padmasambhava’s proscription against smoking 58:00 - Religion at societal and personal level 59:47 - Religious psychosis 01:01:23 - 3 levels of Buddhism 01:02:27 - Pros and cons of religious belief 01:06:25 - Treating psychotic Padmasambhavas 01:08:06 - Patients who hear God 01:11:00 - Fading of Christianity in Europe 01:13:03 - Spiritual void and fading of religion in Bhutan 01:13:55 - Today’s Buddhist monks’ failings 01:16:00 - Learning from the fall of European religion 01:21:17 - Science vs religion 01:22:05 - Spiritual void and suicide 01:24:04 - Is religion needed? 01:26:38 - Lack of priests 01:29:40 - Uniqueness of psychiatry 01:31:25 - Reflections on inter-cultural collaboration 01:33:53 - Dr Caroline praises Dr Chencho’s accomplishments … Previous episodes with Dr Chencho Dorji: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=chencho Previous episode with Dr Caroline Van Damme: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=damme To find out more about Dr Chencho Dorji, visit: - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057403100633 To find out more about Dr Van Damme, visit: - https://www.sowarigpainstitute.org/dr-caroline-van-damme … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James