It's not a "new" syndrome. It's been documented for centuries and while I'm sure it actually has a more scientific name, Jerusalem syndrome sounds way more interesting. Ive read about this before. I don't think it lessens real psychology at all. Just because you find it non-credible doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I find phobias of snakes ridiculous but it's real none the less.
But by that logic, ANYTHING can generate a syndrome. And calling something like this a syndrome and is foolish. Down's Syndrome is a far more serious and wide-spread affliction. The problem with things like Jerusalem Syndrome is there is little in the way of clinical trials to validate that visiting the holy land actually caused this problem. It could have been a deep-seated manic depression that was simply triggered by the visit. Therefor if the visit triggered it, something else could to.
By saying "oh it's Jerusalem Syndrome we could be ignoring a more serious issue. There could be other factors and that's why this idea of "slap a Syndrome name on it and move on" is dangerous. Yes it could be a real syndrome, but there's an equal chance it isn't one. They've got no way of knowing for sure given what they know about this person who jumped off of the building. Hell he could have been suicidal due to countless other things. If this is an actual ailment, they need to focus on proving it exists, not speculating about one person's actions and slapping a title on them. It sounds as though his "diagnosis" wasn't based on very much other than speculation.
Making assumptions is dangerous.
An excerpt:
“This psychotic state is brought on by visits to Jerusalem or the Galilee. It induces a state of religious ecstasy which overcomes the tourists. They feel euphoric at being surrounded by so many holy sites," explained Dr. Abu Nasser.
Really doctor,can you back this up with some clinical test data? Can you show us how you got to that conclusion? There's an "ology" at the end of psychology for a reason. Its a SCIENCE. Science requires data. I've been to many holy sites and can verify that yes, they can give one an eerie feeling of euphoria, but that's possibly all in the mind. Down's Syndrome on the other hand, is not, it's a real clinically-proven ailment, not just a state of mind. Diseases don't target specific religions. But this so-called syndrome only afflicts Christians. Why is that? If being a certain faith makes one more susceptible to ailments, I think I might become an atheist.
The problem here isn't the syndrome itself, it's the willingness to just slap a title on any ailment without studying the real causes.
