Abstract
IntroductionThe view that spirits may possess humans is found in 90% of the world population, including Arab/Islamic societies. Despite the association between possessive states and various neurological and psychiatric disorders, the available literature has yet to correlate possessive states with functional brain imaging modalities such as single-photon-emission computed tomography.Case presentationThis paper describes the clinical case of a 22-year-old male Omani patient who presented to us with an altered state of consciousness that his caregiver attributed to possession. We examined whether the patient's mental state correlated with neuro-imaging data. The patient's distress was invariably associated with specific perfusion in the left temporal lobe and structural abnormality in the left basal ganglia.ConclusionWe discuss the case in the context of possession as a culturally sanctioned idiom of distress, and highlight the importance of studying cross-cultural presentations of altered states of consciousness within biomedical models.
Highlights
It is a commonly held view that psychiatric disorders are amorphous entities and sometimes represent an exaggeration of normal psychological processes [3]. It is within these constraints that the modern quest for psychopathology still dwells on descriptive phenomenol
This paper presents a case study of an Omani man who presented with an altered state of consciousness and examines whether the patient's dissociative state correlates with functional abnormality in specific regions of the brain
Psychiatric and medical observation, the patient's distress was critically associated with specific functional changes in the temporal lobe and structural abnormality as well as encephalomelacia in the left basal ganglia
Summary
From phrenology to modern neuroscience, there has been a long-standing interest in deciphering the complex relationship between human behavior and brain function. About 6 months after the accident, his conduct was noted by the family member to be very different from his premorbid state He deteriorated in academic competence, which resulted in repeated academic failures and having to leave school. Before seeking consultation with us, he had been seen in two different psychiatric hospitals; he had received electroconvulsive therapy in one of them, but his condition remained impervious to the treatment During this time, all tests conducted complete blood count, blood biochemistry, immunological workup and electrocardiogram) produced normal results. The patient showed a marked improvement in his mood, cognitive functioning, and social behavior after having been on the medications for 3 weeks In addition to these behavioral changes, repeated brain perfusion studies (Figure 2) showed an improvement of perfusion in the left temporal lobe
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