CULTURE-BOUND SYNDROMES

1. amok (amuck) n. a culture-bound syndrome observed among males in Malaysia, the

Philippines, and other parts of southeast Asia. The individual experiences a period of social
withdrawal and apathy, before making a violent, unprovoked attack on nearby individuals.
The aggressor eventually collapses from exhaustion and afterward has no memory of the
event. Also called mata elap. See also mal de pelea.
2. amurakh n. a culture-bound syndrome observed among Siberian women and characterized
by compulsive mimicking of other people’s words or behaviors. See also latah.
3. ataque de nervios a culture-bound syndrome found among Latinos, characterized by
shaking, uncontrollable shouting or crying, a sense of rising heat, loss of control, and verbal
or physical aggression, followed by fainting or seizurelike episodes. Symptoms often occur
following a stressful event related to the family, and most individuals quickly return to their
previous level of functioning.
4. bangungut n. a culture-bound syndrome observed mainly among young, healthy, Filipino
males. The individual is often overheard screaming or moaning during sleep, apparently
experiencing a terrifying nightmare; this is followed by unexpected death. Also called
oriental nightmare-death syndrome.
5. Bhanmati Sorcery This is seen in South India. It is believed to be due to presence of
psychiatric illness like somatization disorders, conversion disorders, dysthymia, anxiety
disorder, schizophrenia etc. Nosological status is unclear
6. bilis n. a culture-bound syndrome found among Latino groups, who attribute it to extremely
strong anger or rage. Symptoms include abrupt nervous tension, headache, screaming,
stomach disturbances, vomiting, loss of weight, tremors, chronic tiredness, and—in extreme
cases—loss of consciousness or death. The extreme anger is said to disturb the center of
balance of hot and cold in the body, which upsets the material and spiritual aspects of the
person. Also called colera; muina.
7. brain fag a culture-bound syndrome originating in west Africa and most often experienced
by high school or college students. Symptoms typically include difficulties with
concentration, memory, and understanding information; feelings of pain, tightness, and
burning around the head and neck; blurred vision; and tiredness associated with excessive
thinking.
8. cafard n. a culture-bound syndrome found in Polynesia, with symptoms similar to those of
amok. Also called cathard.
9. culture bound describing attitudes, practices, or behaviors that are the products of a
particular culture and that are not widely found in other cultures.
10. culture-bound syndrome a pattern of mental illness and abnormal behavior that is unique to
a specific ethnic or cultural population and does not conform to standard classifications of
psychiatric disorders. Culture-bound syndromes include, among others, amok, amurakh,
bangun- gut, hsieh-ping, imu, jumping frenchmen of maine syndrome, koro, latah, mal de
pelea, myriachit, pi- blokto, susto, voodoo death, and windigo psychosis. Also called culture-
specific syndrome.
11. dhat n. a culture-bound syndrome specific to India. Dhat involves severe anxiety and
hypochondriacal concerns about the discharge of semen, whitish discoloration of the urine,
and feelings of weakness and exhaustion. It is similar to shen-k’uei.
12. falling out a culture-bound syndrome found in the United States and the Caribbean.
Symptoms include sudden collapse, sometimes preceded by feelings of dizziness or
“swimming” in the head. Although their eyes are usually open, patients claim to be unable to
see; they usually hear and understand what is occurring around them but feel powerless to
move. The condition may be associated with conversion disorder or dissociative disorder.
Also called blacking out.
13. Gas Syndrome One of the common complaints that are being heard from individuals coming
to medical set upsis ‘Gas’ or ‘vayu’ etc. Individuals come up with number of symptoms like
abdominal discomfort, headache, chest pain, joint pains, somatic complaints, back pain to
‘Gas’. ‘Gas’ is reported to be the cause for the distress and the primary duty of the treating
clinician is to relieve them of the gas. The problem of troubling Gas or vayu has been
affecting Indian culture since a long time. ‘Gas Syndrome’ is proposed as a culture bound
syndrome. Ancient Indian text Charak Samhita has also talked about vayu. To deal with such
a condition it becomes really important to understand the individual’s deep rooted beliefs and
understanding of the illness. Otherwise, the gap between the clinician and patient can result in
dissatisfaction. If the clinician keeps himself/herself distant from understanding patient’s
traditional health beliefs, then the patient may not accept the treatment or become non-
compliant.
14. ghost sickness a culture-bound syndrome found in Native American communities and
attributed to ghosts or sometimes witchcraft. Symptoms include recurring nightmares,
weakness, loss of appetite, fear, anxiety, hallucinations, confusion, and a sense of suffocation
15. Gilhari Syndrome Also known as the “squirrel or lizard syndrome”. Highly prevalent
among the regions of west Rajasthan. Patients complain of small blood filled swelling on the
 body changing its position from time to time as if a squirrel or lizard is crawling underneath
the skin with intense anxiety and apprehension of death. People believe that Gilhari must be
crushed to death or it will kill patients and the treatment is mainly received from local expert
or faith healers. Symptoms Characterized by; Swelling underneath the skin in the back;
Swelling in neck; Difficulty in breathing; Feeling of obstruction in the airways
16. grisi siknis a culture-bound syndrome found in Nicaragua and characterized by headache,
anxiety, anger, and the sudden onset of an episode of hyperactivity and potentially dangerous
behavior in the form of running or fleeing. There is ensuing exhaustion, sleep, and amnesia
for the episode. The syndrome, which has some similarities to piblokto, is usually classified
as a dissociative trance disorder.
17. Hi-Wa itck a culture-bound syndrome found in Mohave American Indian populations that
includes symptoms such as depression, insomnia, loss of appetite, and sometimes suicide
associated with unwanted separation from a loved one; it generally affects the young wife of
an older Mohave male.
18. hsieh-ping n. a culture-bound syndrome observed in China and Taiwan, characterized by
temporary trancelike states in which the individual supposedly becomes possessed by
ancestral spirits. It is often accompanied by tremors, disorientation, delirium, and visual or
auditory hallucinations.
19. hwa-byung n. a culture-bound syndrome specific to Korea and characterized by a range of
symptoms that are attributed to the suppression of anger (Korean, literally: “anger disease”).
Symptoms include a feeling of a mass in the throat, chest, or abdomen, a sensation of heat in
the body, headaches, palpitations, indigestion, insomnia, fatigue, panic, dysphoria, fear of
impending death, anorexia, generalized aches and pains, and poor concentration. Also called
suppressed anger syndrome; wool- hwa-byung.
20. iich’aa n. a culture-bound syndrome found in Navaho communities, with symptoms similar
to those of amok.
21. imu n. a culture-bound syndrome resembling latah, observed among the Ainu and Sakhalin
women of Japan. It is characterized by an extreme startle response involving automatic
movements, imitative behavior, infantile reactions, and obedience to command. See also
jumping frenchmen of maine syndrome; myriachit.
22. jinjinia bemar Jhinjhinia In vernacular "Jhin-Jhini" means tingling and numbness. As
tingling and numbness are the presenting symptoms of the strange disease it was called "Jhin-
Jhini". As an epidemic was first reported in the village Arkhali situated in West Bengal. The
disease struck an individual unexpectedly with sensation of tingling and numbness in the legs
 which spread upward all through the body. Inside a couple of moments, the patient is seized
with the loathsomeness of looming demise and sobs for help before he ends up noticeably
astounded and unmoving. Unless saved, he would crash on the ground. With the aid of local
remedy offered by a "rescue squad" (made during the epidemic) improvised for the occasion,
he would recover after l/2hr. to 2 hrs. "Jhin-Jhini" gives off an impression of being a
functional mental disorder which harrows a man drastically and vanishes inside a couple of
hours, leaving no detectable trace. The disorder spreads quickly inside a span of a couple of
kilometers and its frequency drops to nil inside a couple of months. It has, without a doubt,
every one of the qualities of a scourge psychogenic confusion like an epidemic psychogenic
disorder like contagious hysteria or epidemic koro.
23. jiryan n. a culture-bound syndrome found in India, with symptoms similar to those of shen-
k’uei.
24. koro n. a culture-bound syndrome observed primarily in males in China and southeast Asia.
It is an acute anxiety reaction in which the male suddenly fears that his penis is shrinking and
will disappear into his abdomen, bringing death. (In females, the fear is focused on the vulva
and nipples.) Individuals may also experience shame if they associate the fear with immoral
sexual behavior. Also called jinjinia bemar; rok-joo; shook yong; shuk yang; suk- yeong;
suo yang.
25. latah (lattah) n. a culture-bound syndrome first observed in Malaysia and Indonesia,
although similar syndromes have been found in many other parts of the world. The condition
primarily affects middle-aged women and is characterized by an exaggerated startle reaction.
Its major symptoms, besides fearfulness, are imitative behavior in speech (see echolalia) and
body movements (see echo- praxia), a compulsion to utter profanities and obscenities (see
coprolalia), command obedience, and disorganization. See also imu; jumping frenchmen of
maine syndrome; myriachit.
26. locura n. a culture-bound syndrome found among Latino groups in the United States and
Latin America and attributed to hereditary vulnerability, the consequences of stressful and
difficult life events, or a combination of the two. Symptoms include incoherence, agitation,
auditory and visual hallucinations, social dysfunction, erratic behavior, and possibly violence.
27. mal de ojo a culture-bound syndrome, reported in many Mediterranean regions, that is
characterized by fever, sleep disturbances, and gastrointestinal problems. It most commonly
affects children; the Spanish name translates to evil eye.
28. mal de pelea a culture-bound syndrome found in Puerto Rico that is similar to amok.
Individuals experience a period of brooding and then suddenly become violent and attack
 others around them (the Spanish name literally means “fighting sickness”). Also called
Puerto Rican syndrome.
29. mali-mali n. a culture-bound syndrome found in the Philippines, with symptoms similar to
those of latah.
30. Mass Hysteria Short enduring scourges of Mass Hysteria where hundreds to thousands of
individuals apparently was accepting and carrying on in a way in which commonly they
won’t. In a report by Choudhary et al. of an atypical hysteria epidemic in a tribal village of
the State of Tripura, India where four males and eight females were affected within a span of
ten days. The central feature of the episodic is a trance state of 5 to 15 minutes with
restlessness, attempts at self-injury, running away, inappropriate behaviour, inability to
identify family members, refusal of food and intermittent mimicking of animal sounds. The
illness was self-limiting and the individual showed improvement in symptoms in the course
of one to three days’ duration.
31. Myriachit culture-bound syndrome found in Siberian populations. Similar to latah, it is
characterized by indiscriminate, apparently uncontrolled imitations of the actions of other
people encountered by the individual. Also called ikota; irkunii; menkeiti; olan. See also
imu; jumping frenchmen of maine syndrome.
32. piblokto n. a culture-bound syndrome observed primarily in female Inuit and other arctic
populations. Individuals experience a sudden dissociative period of extreme excitement in
which they often tear off clothes, run naked through the snow, scream, throw things, and
perform other wild behaviors. This typically ends with convulsive seizures, followed by an
acute coma and amnesia for the event. Also called arctic hysteria; pibloktoq.
33. sangue dormido a culture-bound syndrome found among inhabitants (indigenous and
immigrant) of Cape Verde. Symptoms include pain, numbness, tremor, paralysis,
convulsions, stroke, blindness, heart attack, infection, and miscarriage. [Portuguese, literally:
“sleeping blood”]
34. shen-k’uei (shenkui) n. a culture-bound syndrome occurring in males in Chinese or
Taiwanese cultures and characterized by symptoms of anxiety, panic, and somatization, such
as sexual dysfunction, insomnia, and dizziness. Symptoms cannot be linked to a physical
cause and are typically ascribed to excessive loss of semen due to unrestrained sexual
activity. See also dhat; jiryan; sukra prameha.
35. shin-byung n. a culture-bound syndrome found in Korea, characterized by anxiety and
physical complaints such as general weakness, dizziness, loss of appetite, insomnia, and
gastrointestinal problems, followed by dissociation and alleged possession by ancestral spirits
 (see dissociative trance disorder). It is considered by those affected to be a “divine illness,” in
which the individual experiences hallucinations of becoming a shaman and a cure occurs
when this conversion takes place.
36. shinkeishitsu n. a culture-bound syndrome prevalent in Japan, with symptoms that include
obsessions, perfectionism, ambivalence, social withdrawal, physical and mental fatigue,
hypersensitivity, and hypochondriasis. Japanese psychiatrist Shoma Morita (1874–1938), a
pioneer in the study of shinkeishitsu, postulated that there is a shinkeishitsu-prone innate
temperament, which he called “hypochondriacal temperament.” According to Morita, people
born with this temperament are overly sensitive, self-reflective, and notice even minimal
changes in their mental and physical states. This disorder is also prevalent in China, where it
is known as shenjing shuairuo. See also morita therapy.
37. silok n. a culture-bound syndrome found in the Philippines that has symptoms similar to
those of latah.
38. Suchi Bai Syndrome Present in Bengal, India - especially Hindu widows. Common
symptoms: washing too often; not eating anywhere outside; changing of street clothes (own
and sometime compulsorily for all family members); washing of money (including currency
notes); bathing for four hours twice a day; hanging out street clothes outside on a tree and
entering house naked; hopping while walking (to avoid touching anything dirty in the
streets); remaining immersed in the holy river for best part of the day; sprinkling of cow dung
water on all visitors etc.
39. sukra prameha a culture-bound syndrome found in Sri Lanka, with symptoms similar to
those of shen-k’uei.
40. Suudu It is a culture specific disorder of excruciating pain in urination and pelvic "heat"
recognizable in south India, particularly in the Tamil culture. It happens in both male and
females. It is prominently ascribed to an increase in the "inner heat" of the body frequently
because of dehydration. Individuals believe that it is frequently caused by high temperature
amid summers, long travel, lack of healthy foods and fluids, lack of sleep and so on. The
person presents with the objections of extreme abdomen torment, dark yellow urine, painful
and burning micturition, headaches, fatigue, constipation and dry mouth. It is typically treated
through: 1. Applying a couple of drops of sesame oil or castor oil in the navel and the pelvic
area. 2. Having an oil massage took after by a warm water shower. 3. Intake of fenugreek
seeds doused overnight in water.
41. susto n. a culture-bound syndrome occurring among Latinos in the United States and
populations in Mexico, Central America, and South America. After experiencing a
 frightening event, individuals fear that their soul has left their body. Symptoms include
weight loss, fatigue, muscle pains, headache, diarrhea, unhappiness, troubled sleep, lack of
motivation, and low self-esteem. Also called chibih; espanto; pasmo; perdida del alma;
tripa ida.
42. tabanka (tabanca) n. a culture-bound syndrome found in Trinidad that is precipitated by the
loss of a sexual partner. Symptoms include those associated with major depression, such as
sadness, feelings of worthlessness, and loss of interest in usual activities, and they may
occasionally lead to suicide. It is most commonly seen in men who have been abandoned by
their wives.
43. voodoo death a culture-bound syndrome observed in Haiti, Africa, Australia, and islands of
the Pacific and the Caribbean. An individual who has disobeyed a ritual or taboo is hexed or
cursed by a medicine man or sorcerer (often through the pointing of a bone) and dies within a
few days. Walter B. cannon, one of the first researchers of voodoo death, suggested that the
individual’s strong belief in the curse caused physiological reactions in the body resulting in
death. Also called bone pointing; thanatomania. See also psychic suicide.
44. windigo psychosis a severe culture-bound syndrome occurring among northern Algonquin
Indians living in Canada and the northeastern United States. The syndrome is characterized
by delusions of becoming possessed by a flesh-eating monster (the windigo) and is
manifested in symptoms including depression, violence, a compulsive desire for human flesh,
and sometimes actual cannibalism. The psychosis is also known by numerous variant names
and spellings, among them whitiko, wihtigo, wihtiko, witigo, witiko, and wittigo.
45. zar (zaar) n. a culture-bound syndrome, occurring in North African and Middle Eastern
cultures, that is attributed to spirit possession. Occurring most frequently in women, zar often
involves dissociative, somatic, and affective symptoms, such as shouting, laughing, apathy,
and refusal to perform daily tasks.