Frontiers in Psychiatry
October 11, 2021
Sélim Benjamin Guessoum, Laelia Benoit, Sevan Minassian et al.
15 citations
Clinical lycanthropy is a rare syndrome in which a patient believes they are turning into a wolf. A systematic review of 43 cases found it is associated with schizophrenia, psychotic depression, bipolar disorder, and other psychotic disorders. Antipsychotic medication may be an effective treatment, with antidepressants or mood regulators used when depression or mania is present. Neuroscientific hypotheses include viewing it as a cenesthopathy, a delusional misidentification of the self, or involving impairments in sensory integration, belief evaluation, or right hemisphere anomalies. The syndrome overlaps with other delusional misidentification syndromes and may be a culture-bound syndrome influenced by Western myths and media. A cultural, narrative, and patient-centered approach is recommended for assessment and care.
February 27, 2023
Clara Novaes, Marie Rose Moro, Jo Ann Cahn
2 citations
The chapter examines contemporary ritual experiences with the Amazonian drink ayahuasca in urban Brazil and Europe, particularly France. It problematizes the relationship between modern modes of subjectification induced by these experiences and the French State's legal stance on ayahuasca. The analysis engages with the State's unique concept of "cultic deviance" as applied to ayahuasca practices. Drawing from the author's doctoral research in psychology, the work explores how ayahuasca rituals interact with state regulation and cultural perceptions.
Culture, medicine and psychiatry
February 9, 2026
Manon Arminot, Lara Haghiri Ghazvini, Thierry Baubet et al.
Possession states present a complex challenge in transcultural psychiatry. When a Somali patient experiencing possession was treated in a transcultural consultation group, young clinicians witnessed a trance and experienced cultural countertransference. Using the Cultural Formulation Interview, the clinicians' countertransference evolved, leading to a deeper understanding of the symptom and improvement in the patient's condition. This case demonstrates the importance of addressing cultural countertransference among young clinicians in transcultural consultations.