Avahana Syndrome
P. Kishan, Sai Krishna Puli, M. Vishnu Vardhan, U. Kishan
Telangana Journal of IMA 2024 DOI: 10.4103/tjima.tjima_16_24 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that cultural factors and religious background influence how psychopathology, including dissociative trance and possession states, is reported, and that these syndromes are more commonly seen in Indian subcontinent countries such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Defines possession as a state in which the organism appears invaded by a new personality and governed by a strange soul. |
Abstract
Cultural factors and religious background influence the reporting of psychopathology in various psychiatric disorders. Like many psychiatric disorders, dissociative trance and possession states display cross-cultural variation. The Indian subcontinent with its bright history and different cultures has a prevalent history of trance and possession syndromes. Possession can be defined as “a state in which the organism appears to be invaded by a new personality and governed by a strange soul.” These disorders are seen more commonly in the Indian subcontinent countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.