ArticleFrontiers in psychology2021
Delusions of Possession and Religious Coping in Schizophrenia: A Qualitative Study of Four Cases.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Reconceptualizing Schizophrenia through a Patient-Oriented Perspective: a Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2026Pooled it
- Trance and Possession Disorder With Dissociative-Psychotic Overlap: A Clinical Case Report.Cureus · 2026Article
- Reflections from individuals with schizophrenia on a life with delusions and hallucinations: a phenomenological study.Annals of general psychiatry · 2026Article
- The Lived Experience of Paranoia: Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.Schizophrenia bulletin open · 2026Review
- A Fragmented Mind: Altered States of Consciousness and Spirit Possession Between Rituals and Therapy.Integrative psychological & behavioral science · 2025Article
- Article
- Religious hallucinations in Lebanese patients with schizophrenia and their association with religious coping.BMC research notes · 2023Article
- Trapped Between Theological and Medical Notions of Possession: A Case of Possession Trance Disorder With a 3-Year Follow-Up.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- The recovery of homicidal people diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder-An interpretative phenomenological analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Magical Thinking and Mystical Experience: An Exploration of Delusional Disorder in Schizophrenic Patients.Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery researchArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The notion of evil spirits influencing human behavior or mental processes is used in many cultures to justify various symptoms or experiences. It is also expressed in psychotic delusions of possession, but there is limited research in this area. This study explores how patients with schizophrenia came to the conclusion that they were possessed, and how this affected help-seeking. Interviews with two men and two women about their experiences and meaning-making were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three main themes were identified: (1) Links between traumatic experiences and psychotic symptoms, (2) The emergence of religious themes in delusional contents, and (3) Reluctance to use medical treatment and instead to seek exorcism. In each case, attributing problems to possession was supported by the local environment and media, led to seeking spiritual help, and delayed diagnostic assessment and treatment. However, using religious coping contributed to the sense of predictability and social support. Clinicians are encouraged to explore the experiences and conflicts expressed by the symptoms which people ascribe to possession and to negotiate alternative explanatory models with their patients.
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