Psychosis or Spiritual Emergency: The Potential of Developmental Psychopathology for Differential Diagnosis
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies September 1, 2017 Kevin O. St. Arnaud, Damien C. Cormier 13 citations
This paper compares two ways of classifying psychological conditions: the traditional medical model and a developmental approach that considers growth and wellbeing. The authors argue that a developmental model is better at telling apart experiences that look similar on the surface. As an example, they contrast spiritual emergencies—crises that can accompany spiritual growth—with psychotic disorders, which also involve unusual experiences but stem from different origins. The review explains that psychotic disorders develop gradually rather than appearing suddenly, and it discusses spirituality's role in mental health. The paper concludes that a holistic, developmental understanding helps clinicians distinguish between psychotic symptoms that indicate mental illness and spiritual emergencies that may be part of healthy development.