When Belief Meets Biology: Cultural Interpretations of Psychosis as Spirit Possession – A Narrative Study
Annals of Indian Psychiatry August 11, 2025 Prashant Mahajan, Somoshri Banerji, Aarti Kushwah
Abstract The cultural context plays a critical role in shaping how psychiatric symptoms are perceived, interpreted, and managed. This article presents a clinically focused narrative on the misinterpretation of psychotic symptoms as spirit possession, based on a real-world case from a rural area in Himachal Pradesh, India. The case illustrates the interface between psychiatry and cultural...