Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Comparison of Brazilian spiritist mediumship and dissociative identity disorder

Moreira-Almeida, Alexander ; Neto, Francisco Lotufo and Cardeña, Etzel LU orcid (2008) In Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 196(5). p.420-424
Abstract
We studied the similarities and differences between Brazilian Spiritistic mediums and North American dissociative identity disorder (DID) patients. Twenty-four mediums selected among different Spiritistic organizations in Sao Paulo, Brazil, were interviewed using the Dissociative Disorder Interview Schedule, and their responses were compared with those of DID patients described in the literature. The results from Spiritistic mediums were similar to published data on DID patients only with respect to female prevalence and high frequency of Schneiderian first-rank symptoms. As compared with individuals with DID, the mediums differed in having better social adjustment, lower prevalence of mental disorders, lower use of mental health services,... (More)
We studied the similarities and differences between Brazilian Spiritistic mediums and North American dissociative identity disorder (DID) patients. Twenty-four mediums selected among different Spiritistic organizations in Sao Paulo, Brazil, were interviewed using the Dissociative Disorder Interview Schedule, and their responses were compared with those of DID patients described in the literature. The results from Spiritistic mediums were similar to published data on DID patients only with respect to female prevalence and high frequency of Schneiderian first-rank symptoms. As compared with individuals with DID, the mediums differed in having better social adjustment, lower prevalence of mental disorders, lower use of mental health services, no use of antipsychotics, and lower prevalence of histories of physical or sexual childhood abuse, sleepwalking, secondary features of DID, and symptoms of borderline personality. Thus, mediumship differed from DID in having better mental health and social adjustment, and a different clinical profile. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
mediumship, dissociation, dissociative identity disorder, possession, spiritism
in
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
volume
196
issue
5
pages
420 - 424
publisher
Wolters Kluwer
external identifiers
  • wos:000256055600010
  • scopus:43649108608
ISSN
0022-3018
DOI
10.1097/NMD.0b013e31816ff3al
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
37a8b26a-8511-4466-9c01-e2cbb92b4106 (old id 1203366)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:54:11
date last changed
2022-03-21 21:10:11
@article{37a8b26a-8511-4466-9c01-e2cbb92b4106,
  abstract     = {{We studied the similarities and differences between Brazilian Spiritistic mediums and North American dissociative identity disorder (DID) patients. Twenty-four mediums selected among different Spiritistic organizations in Sao Paulo, Brazil, were interviewed using the Dissociative Disorder Interview Schedule, and their responses were compared with those of DID patients described in the literature. The results from Spiritistic mediums were similar to published data on DID patients only with respect to female prevalence and high frequency of Schneiderian first-rank symptoms. As compared with individuals with DID, the mediums differed in having better social adjustment, lower prevalence of mental disorders, lower use of mental health services, no use of antipsychotics, and lower prevalence of histories of physical or sexual childhood abuse, sleepwalking, secondary features of DID, and symptoms of borderline personality. Thus, mediumship differed from DID in having better mental health and social adjustment, and a different clinical profile.}},
  author       = {{Moreira-Almeida, Alexander and Neto, Francisco Lotufo and Cardeña, Etzel}},
  issn         = {{0022-3018}},
  keywords     = {{mediumship; dissociation; dissociative identity disorder; possession; spiritism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{420--424}},
  publisher    = {{Wolters Kluwer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease}},
  title        = {{Comparison of Brazilian spiritist mediumship and dissociative identity disorder}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e31816ff3al}},
  doi          = {{10.1097/NMD.0b013e31816ff3al}},
  volume       = {{196}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}