Psychiatry and possession

Re “Exorcism is something we can’t quite quit,” Opinion, May 8

Lynn Hightower, a selfdescribed “thriller writer” whose latest novel involves exorcism, began her op-ed article with a reference to her research on “demonic possession.”

This term is immediately followed by her writing that “possession” is recognized in the American Psychiatric Assn.’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (or DSM).

This is a misleading juxtaposition, since any DSM reference (like “possession trance disorder”) is merely to label it and describe its criteria. It does not suggest or validate that “possession” actually occurs.

There is absolutely no DSM recognition of “demonic possession.” Eli Comay, M.D.

Los Angeles The writer is a retired psychiatrist who practiced in Westchester for more than 30 years.