Psychiatr Prax. 1987 Sep; 14(5): 157-62.

[Effect of the hodja (magic healer) on Turkish psychiatric patients in West Germany--an evaluation of clinical examples]

RÃ¶der F, OpaliÄ P.

Psychiatrische Univ.-Klinik, Marburg.

Turkish magic healers called hodjas are working in West-Germany today. Our knowledge about their influence on Turkish patients is poor. They are consulted at least from patients with psychogenous diseases. The degree and the multiple dimensions of their influence and the possibility for the doctor to master the conflicting cultural identity of these patients is demonstrated on the base of four clinical case-histories.