'The Ghost Pushes You Down': Sleep Paralysis-Type Panic Attacks in a Khmer Refugee Population
Dados Bibliográficos
| AUTOR(ES) | |
|---|---|
| AFILIAÇÃO(ÕES) | Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School,, Arbour Counseling Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School |
| ANO | 2005 |
| TIPO | Artigo |
| PERIÓDICO | Transcultural Psychiatry |
| ISSN | 1363-4615 |
| E-ISSN | 1461-7471 |
| EDITORA | Annual Reviews (United States) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1363461505050710 |
| CITAÇÕES | 26 |
| ADICIONADO EM | Não informado |
Resumo
Among a psychiatric population of Cambodian refugees ( N = 100), 42% had current - i.e. at least once in the last year - sleep paralysis (SP). Of those experiencing SP, 91% (38/42) had visual hallucinations of an approaching being, and 100% (42/42) had panic attacks. Among patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; n = 45), 67% (30/45) had SP, whereas among those without PTSD, only 22.4% (11/45) had SP (χ2 = 20.4, p < .001). Of the patients with PTSD, 60% (27/45) had monthly episodes of SP. The Cambodian panic response to SP seems to be greatly heightened by elaborate cultural ideas - with SP generating concerns about physical status, 'good luck' status,'bad luck' status, sorcery assault, and ghost assault - and by trauma associations to the figure seen in SP. Case vignettes illustrate cultural beliefs about, and trauma resonances of, SP. A model to explain the high rate of SP in this population is presented. SP is a core aspect of the Cambodian refugees response to trauma; when assessing Cambodian refugees, and traumatized refugees in general, clinicians should assess for its presence.