| abstract | - The Jerusalem syndrome is a group of mental phenomena involving the presence of either religiously themed obsessive ideas, delusions or other psychosis-like experiences that are triggered by, or lead to, a visit to the city of Jerusalem. It is not endemic to one single religion or denomination but has affected Jews and Christians of many different backgrounds. The best known, although not the most prevalent, manifestation of the Jerusalem syndrome is the phenomenon whereby a person who seems previously balanced and devoid of any signs of psychopathology becomes psychotic after arriving in Jerusalem. The psychosis is characterised by an intense religious theme and typically resolves to full recovery after a few weeks or after being removed from the area. The religious focus of the Jerusalem syndrome distinguishes it from other phenomena, such as the Stendhal syndrome, which is reported in Florence, Italy, or the Paris syndrome, which has been reported predominantly in Japanese individuals. Dr. Yair Bar El et al. claimed that there is a specific syndrome which emerges in tourists who have no previous psychiatric history. However, this has been disputed, especially by Dr. Moshe Kalian and Prof. Eliezer Witztum. They stressed that nearly all of the tourists who demonstrated the described behaviours were already mentally ill prior to their arrival to Jerusalem. Further, of the small proportion alleged to have exhibited spontaneous psychosis after arrival in Jerusalem, there was no evidence presented that they had previously been well. Jerusalem Syndrome is not listed or referenced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), Fourth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM does list Delusional Disorder, 297.1, with a subtype category of Grandiose Type which may share several features of or otherwise encompass Jerusalem Sydrome if symptoms last one month or more. One possible related feature of Delusional Disorder Grandiose Type is a criteria of a delusion of having some special relationship with a deity, such as receiving messages from God or being an agent of God. Delusional Disorder, Grandiose Type, is often noted for onset late in life for people with no history of delusions or mental health issues. An affected individual will likely function quite normally outside of interaction and discussion directly related to the delusion.
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