Grahonmada or Bhutonmada: Ayurvedic Psychiatric and Neuropsychiatric Conditions

Abstract

Abstract Bhutonmada or Grahonmada is a psychiatric illness explained in classical Ayurvedic texts. It is characterized by unknown or idiopathic manifestation. It is an underexplored entity in Ayurvedic psychiatry over the years with lack of scientific evidence. Bhutonmada is often misunderstood and surrounded by several myths and misconceptions such as “Bhutas or Grahas are demons and they afflict an individual and produce a psychiatric illness.” Despite the growing recognition of psychological health as a global concern, there remains a significant scarcity of research available on Bhutonmada/Grahonmada. The aim and objective of the present narrative review is to summarize and synthesize the existing research works on Bhutonmada/Grahonmada and also to evaluate the overall state of knowledge and practice on Grahonmada/Bhutonmada. Although Bhutonmada is considered an unknown or idiopathic entity, various predisposing (vulnerable personality traits), precipitating (Chidra Kalaas), and perpetuating factors (Pragnaparadha and Karma) are described in Ayurvedic texts. Bhutonmadas have a wide variety of clinical presentations and they represent various psychiatric and neuropsychiatric conditions. Bhutonmadas are not demonic possessions; rather, they do represent various psychiatric illnesses and further research is required in this direction.