Marc Lenot

The Jerusalem syndrome is a group of mental phenomena which are triggered by a visit to the city of Jerusalem; it has been documented since the Middle Age, but its frequency seems to have increased over the last fifty years. While the vast majority of the visitors to Jerusalem simply experience an interesting, often spiritual trip, some one hundred characters a year are totally overwhelmed by the intensity of the new impressions they receive. They develop obsessive religious ideas, delusions and other psychotic experiences which constitute the Jerusalem syndrome. An approximate 80 percent of the people who are diagnosed with the Jerusalem syndrome are already suffering from a psychotic illness before their arrival in Jerusalem. They are typically under the influence of delusional religious ideas and often believe they have to visit the city in order to achieve a specific goal or to complete a mission during their stay. The vast majority of the people in this group are Jewish, with a few Christians and Muslims. They can be violent. Typical symptoms are assumption of the identity of a biblical character (at the expense of one’s own identity: «I am Samson and I will move this stone to the Western Wall») or actions to accomplish a divine mission (such as the Australian tourist Dennis Michael Rohan who in 1969 set fire to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, acting on divine instructions to hasten the coming of the Messiah). The remaining 20 percent have never suffered any kind of mental illness before. Individuals belonging to this group are almost exclusively very religious Protestant Christian pilgrims. They develop a highly theatrical behavior, wearing a long, white gown, shouting psalms or verses from the Bible, marching to one of Jerusalem’s holy places, and delivering sermons to humankind to adopt a more wholesome, moral, simple way of life. They usually do not have visual or oral hallucinations, and perfectly know who they are (: «I know I am George Ryan, but what if George Ryan is the Messiah?»). They are very anxious but non-violent and ask politely not to be disturbed in the completion of their mission. The Jerusalem syndrome remains a mystery and puzzles the psychiatric community. It is not listed in the DSM-IV, the American Psychiatric Association’s handbook of mental disorders. Does it constitute a distinct mental illness? In any case it adds another - mysterious - facet to this unique city.