This is a good point. If you went with the "simplest" explanation then which one do you pick:
1. The patients humors are out of whack. The treatment is bloodletting.
2. The patient has a complex infection involving many physiological systems like immune system, foreign bacteria, gut flora, etc. The treatment is rest and administration of a lab engineered antibiotic for weeks.
Or:
1. The patient is possessed by a Djinn/Demon/spirit and needs an exorcism from a priest/shaman/imam.
2. The patient suffers from mental illness which is difficult to describe let alone treat. Treatment will be years, if not decades, of a mix of therapy, lifestyle changes, and medication.
Sadly, these attitudes still exist, even in the industrialized West. I often visit /r/paranormal because I have a thing for ghost stories and sometimes there's a posting about "possession" which is very clearly about a mentally ill person. When I point this out and ask why this person isn't getting proper care, I'm downvoted to -5 near instantly. Yes, that's right, the guy saying "This isn't a demon, this poor woman needs proper medical help," gets argued with like its the 13th century.
1. The patients humors are out of whack. The treatment is bloodletting.
2. The patient has a complex infection involving many physiological systems like immune system, foreign bacteria, gut flora, etc. The treatment is rest and administration of a lab engineered antibiotic for weeks.
Or:
1. The patient is possessed by a Djinn/Demon/spirit and needs an exorcism from a priest/shaman/imam.
2. The patient suffers from mental illness which is difficult to describe let alone treat. Treatment will be years, if not decades, of a mix of therapy, lifestyle changes, and medication.
Sadly, these attitudes still exist, even in the industrialized West. I often visit /r/paranormal because I have a thing for ghost stories and sometimes there's a posting about "possession" which is very clearly about a mentally ill person. When I point this out and ask why this person isn't getting proper care, I'm downvoted to -5 near instantly. Yes, that's right, the guy saying "This isn't a demon, this poor woman needs proper medical help," gets argued with like its the 13th century.