EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES AMONG SPIRITUAL FACTIONS IN NIGERIA

This research paper addresses the understanding, interpretation and the responses of religious and spiritual leaders in various religious denominations in Nigeria (Pentecostal, Islamic, Catholic, Syncretic and Traditional) to mental illness. Although mental illness is increasingly being viewed as a health issue at the global level, in Nigeria, mental illness is frequently under spiritual and moral interpretations that influence the manner in which communities understand and respond to mental suffering. A qualitative design based on reflexive thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke was used to interview five spiritual leaders to be able to capture their beliefs concerning nature, causes, and treatment of mental illness. Results showed that everyone considered mental illness as a spiritual and psychological state. Even though they also recognized biological and social factors like trauma, stress, and substance abuse, spiritual ones like the demonic attack and ancestral curses prevailed. Healing was defined as a comprehensive process that incorporated prayer, fasting, rite purification as well as, more and more, medical care. This form of faith and science integration destroys the false belief that African religious leaders are opposed to psychiatry. But moral explanations tend to hold up stigma, which associates mental illness with sin or spiritual ineptitude. The paper concludes that religious leaders play a pivotal role in the Nigerian mental health context where they act as gatekeepers and, potentially, as partners. It suggests faith-health collaboration, interreligious education courses, and inclusion of mental health literacy in religious and theological education. All in all, the study demonstrates that to achieve better mental health outcomes in Nigeria it is necessary to adopt a culturally based treatment methodology that balances spirituality and science, and views faith as an essential resource in supporting psychological wellbeing. Keywords: Mental illness, religion, spirituality, culture, Nigeria, qualitative research, Braun and Clarke, faith-based healing.