Spirit possession and healing among Chinese psychiatric patients.
Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica December 1, 1993 E H Kua, P H Chew, S M Ko 48 citations
Among 100 Chinese psychiatric patients at a general hospital in Singapore, more women than men attributed their illness to spirit possession, but belief in possession was not linked to education. Thirty-six patients or their relatives had consulted a traditional healer before seeking hospital care. The tendency to consult a traditional healer was not associated with illness duration, sex, educational status, or whether the patient was psychotic or neurotic. Most depressed patients (72%) presented with physical symptoms such as chest discomfort, headache, and abdominal discomfort, and this somatization was unrelated to education or sex.