Women and affliction in Maharashtra: a hydraulic model of health and illness.
Culture, medicine and psychiatry September 1, 1991 V Skultans 27 citations
Spirit possession in a Mahanubhav healing temple in Maharashtra is understood differently by different inhabitants, with interpretations of trance and affliction varying by gender, family structure, and position within the family. One form of affliction is considered madness, but the experience of mental illness differs markedly: the number of family members accompanying the afflicted person, money spent on treatment, length of treatment, and the degree of empathy and concern all depend on the patient's gender and status. Women's inferior social position and precarious belonging in their husband's family become especially apparent in cases of mental illness.