A few psychiatric disorders found in other cultures...

[Superman]

Because one's culture has a profound influence on mental development, there are certain recurrent culture-bound syndromes that are not generally found in western societies. Here are a few, as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV), that I found interesting. There are more. If you'd like, I can list them:

boufée delirante: A syndrome observed in West Africa and Haiti. This French term refers to a sudden outburst of agitated and aggressive behavior, marked confusion, and psychomotor excitement. It may sometimes be accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations or paranoid ideation. These episodes may resemble an episode of Brief Psychotic Disorder.

dhat: A folk diagnostic term used in India to refer to severe anxiety and hypochondriacal concerns associated with the discharge of semen, whitish discoloration of the urine, and feelings of weakness and exhaustion. Similiar to 'jiryan' (India), 'sukra prameha' (Sri Lanka), and 'shen-k'uei' (China).

ghost sickness: A preoccupation with death and the deceased (sometimes associated with witchcraft) frequently observed among members of many American Indian tribes. Various symptoms can be attributed to ghost sickness, including bad dreams, weakness, feelings of danger, loss of appetite, fainting, dizziness, fear, anxiety, hallucinations, loss of consciousness, confusion, feelings of futility, and a sense of suffocation.

qi-gong psychotic reaction: A term describing an acute, time limited episode characterized by dissociative, paranoid, or other psychotic or nonpsychotic symptoms that may occur after participation in the Chinese fold health-enhancing practice of qi-gong ("exercise of vital energy"). Especially vulnerable are individuals who become overly involved in the practice. This diagnosis is included in the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders, Second Edition (CCMD-2).

rootwork: A set of cultural interpretations that ascribe illness to hexing, witchcraft, sorcery, or the evil influence of another person. Sumptoms may include generalized anxiety and gastrointestinal complaints (e.g., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), weakness, dizziness, the fear of being poisoned, and sometimes fear of being killed ("voodoo death"). "Roots," "spells," or "hexes" can be "put" or placed on other persons, causing a variety of emotional and psychological problems. The "hexed" person may even fear death until the "root" has been "taken off" (eliminated), usually through the work of a "root doctor" (a healer in this tradition), who can also be caleed on to bewitch an enemy. "Rootwork" is found in the southern United States among both African American and European American populations and in Caribbean societies. It is also known as 'mal puesto' or 'brujeria' in Latino Societies.

taijin kyofusho: A culturally distinctive phobia in Japan, in some ways resembling Social Phobia in the DSM-IV. This syndrome refers to to an individual's intense fear that his or her body, its parts or its functions, displease, embarrass, or are offensive to other people in appearance, odor, facial expressions, or movements. This syndrome is included in the official Japanese diagnostic system for mental disorders.

[RIPP_n_WIPE]

Now I'm not an expert here but I am going to guess that these mental disorders aren't really culture specific as opposed to culture influenced. I think that if you looked in all cultures that one would find similar if not identical behavior with the symptoms varying only by culture. If anything the parts of the brain not working properly would be the same.

[Superman]

Now I'm not an expert here but I am going to guess that these mental disorders aren't really culture specific as opposed to culture influenced. I think that if you looked in all cultures that one would find similar if not identical behavior with the symptoms varying only by culture. If anything the parts of the brain not working properly would be the same.

Yes and no. It's not quite that simple. Cultural influences have a strong impact on neurological development, specifically our behaviors. It is essentially one's culture that determines what's 'normal' and what is not. A fundamentalist Christian's world view is not listed as a mental disorder because its predominantly accepted in our respective cultures to hold these beliefs.

Of course you will find developmental, schizophrenic, mood disorders, etc., across all cultures. However, underlying psychopathology is often expressed according to the framework of one's culture. That's where the difference lies.

Think

[Superman]

Ack... Hit 'submit' a little too quickly. I was going to make another point, but deleted it. Ignore that last word.

[Superman]

By the way, I wonder if the Chinese manual of mental disorders lists "Charismatic Church Syndrome," or something like it... then describes symptoms like incoherent babbling, believing one can heal illness by 'laying on hands,' dissociative trances, etc.

[PainRack]

By the way, I wonder if the Chinese manual of mental disorders lists "Charismatic Church Syndrome," or something like it... then describes symptoms like incoherent babbling, believing one can heal illness by 'laying on hands,' dissociative trances, etc.

Doesn't that already fall under delusions of grandeur?:D:D:D

[Larz]

Because one's culture has a profound influence on mental development, there are certain recurrent culture-bound syndromes that are not generally found in western societies. Here are a few, as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV), that I found interesting. There are more. If you'd like, I can list them:

Are these really from the DSM-IV-TR? If they are could you provide a link because they just seem like a bunch of folk/country specific rubish diagnosis rather than actual nationally standardized ones.

[Superman]

Are these really from the DSM-IV-TR? If they are could you provide a link because they just seem like a bunch of folk/country specific rubish diagnosis rather than actual nationally standardized ones.

Appendix I, under "Outline for Cultural Formulation and Glossary of Culture-Bound Syndromes." Look toward the back, pages 843 - 849. I don't don't know of any site which has the DSM online, try a search for "Culture Bound Syndromes."

I think you're sort of misunderstanding the nature of the current psychiatric classification method; the DSM, as well as the ICD, is a categorical model of phenomenology-based symptoms. Mental disorders never fit neatly into a nice category, rather, they are more dimensional in nature. The next edition of the DSM is being designed to reflect this; it's plan is to demonstrate and offer diagnostic codes which demonstrate the reality of high comorbidity (co-occurring disorders) when it comes to mental illness. In other words, mental disorders are not 'fixed.' When a clinician makes a diagnosis, he must always take the patient's cultural norms and values into consideration.

The psychiatric boards recognize that some disorders are routinely observed in other cultures, but are not necessarily found in western societies. The underlying psychopathology may be similar, or even the same, but you have to keep in mind that one's culture determines how these disorders may be expressed. Think of our society's norms and values as a mental 'filter' that the underlying psychopathology must cross. This filter determines the behaviors expressed, or the nature of the disordered thoughts.

We can use our own society to demonstrate this with an illness like anorexia; we frequently see cases of Anorexia in young women in western societies, but this disease is extremely rare or even absent in many other cultures.

[Eleas]

boufée delirante: A syndrome observed in West Africa and Haiti. This French term refers to a sudden outburst of agitated and aggressive behavior, marked confusion, and psychomotor excitement. It may sometimes be accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations or paranoid ideation. These episodes may resemble an episode of Brief Psychotic Disorder.

Hmmm... is this the syndrome that coined the term "running amok"?

[Superman]

Hmmm... is this the syndrome that coined the term "running amok"?

Very astute observation, sir! However...

"amok: A dissociative episode characterized by a period of brooding followed by an outburst of violent, aggressive, or homicidal behavior directed at people and objects. The episode tends to be precipitated by a perceived slight or insult and seems to be prevalent among only males. The episode is often accompanied by persecutory ideas, automatism, amnesia, exhaustion, and a return to a premorbid state following the episode. Some instances of amok may occur during a brief psychotic episode of constitute the onset or an exacerbation of a chronic psychotic process. The original reports that used this term were from Malaysia. A similar pattern is found in Laos, Philippines, Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, and Puerto Rico, and also among the Navajo."

They do sound similar.

[Shroom Man 777]

Man, a lot of morons in the Philippines have rootwork. HOLY SHIT! WITCH DOCTORS HAVE CURSED ME! OH MY GOD! I HAVE A STOMACH ACHE!

Fucktards.

[Patrick Degan]

Two of those disorders would seem to describe what is commonly referred to in folklore as spirit or demonic possession. Two others, of course, cover all the curses and death-hexes. The placebo effects of faith healing obviously fall under the same general principle as well. Which goes to show that the human mind can be talked into just about anything.

[Superman]

Two of those disorders would seem to describe what is commonly referred to in folklore as spirit or demonic possession. Two others, of course, cover all the curses and death-hexes. The placebo effects of faith healing obviously fall under the same general principle as well. Which goes to show that the human mind can be talked into just about anything.

Yep, just ask someone like James Randi how suggestible people actually are.

Here are a couple more similar entries:

susto: ("fright" or "soul loss") A folk illness prevalent among some Latinos in the United States and among people in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Susto is also referred to as 'epanto,' 'pasmo,' 'tripa ida,' 'perdida del alma,' or 'chibih.' Susto is an illness attributed to a frightening event that causes the soul to leave the body and results in unhappiness and sickness. Individuals with susto also experience significant strains in key social roles. Symptoms may appear any time from days to years after the fright is experienced. It is believed that in extreme cases, susto may result in death. Typical symptoms include appetite disturbance, inadequate or excessive sleep, troubled sleep or dreams, feeling of sadness, lack of motivation to do anything, and feelings of low self worth or dirtiness. Somatic symptoms accompanying susto include muscle aches and pains, headache, stomachache, and diarrhea. Ritual healings are focused on calling the soul back to the body and cleansing the person to restore bodily and spiritual balance. Difference experiences of susto may be related to Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Somatoform Disorders. Similar etiological beliefs and symptom configurations are found in many parts of the world.

Zar: A general term applied in Ethiopia, Somalia, Egypt, Sudan, Iran, and other North African and Middle Eastern societies to the experience of spirits possessing an individual. Persons possessed by a spirit may experience dissociative episodes that may include shouting, laughing, hitting the head against a wall, singing, or weeping. Individuals may show apathy and withdrawal, refusing to eat or carry out daily tasks, or may develop a long-term relationship the possessing spirit. Such behavior is not (emphasis mine) considered pathological locally.

That last one is kind of interesting. So, the cultures where you find zar don't consider it to be representative of any diseased state. I guess most European countries also experienced a time where demonic possession was a 'reality.'

[Ritterin Sophia]

Know of any that are specifically targetted at people of Abrahamic Religions?

[Superman]

Know of any that are specifically targetted at people of Abrahamic Religions?

For cultural-bound syndromes, Zar would be found in a good number of Muslim countries, and probably accounts for the so-called possessions in the Bible and the Koran.

For Christians, eh... Where do we start? heh. I don't know of any specific cultural bound syndromes, but we could easily apply known disordered states to religious behavior, and thought processes, and conclude they are one in the same. Hell, Freud wrote entire volumes on how religion is nothing more than a socially accepted mental disorder, and like any other, serves to protect the individual from having to actually confront his or her fears. He also believed that the sense of omnipotence derived from identification with an all powerful god undermines psychological development and intellectual growth. I personally think he hit the nail on the head with that one. Christians in western society just have good PR, so they aren't considered to be 'out of the norm.'

For Judaism, not that I'm aware of...

[Winston Blake]

What about shrinking penis syndrome?

More here, including anorexia nervose and bulimia as Western-recognised disorders.

[Superman]

What about shrinking penis syndrome?

Yeah, that's a fun one. You'll find it listed as 'koro' usually in medical literature.

[slebetman]

Hmmm... is this the syndrome that coined the term "running amok"?

Very astute observation, sir! However...

"amok: A dissociative episode characterized by a period of brooding followed by an outburst of violent, aggressive, or homicidal behavior directed at people and objects..."

They do sound similar.

English "amok" comes from the Malay word "amuk" which simply means violent anger or physical violence as a result of anger. The word is the same in both major Malay languages: Malaysian and Indonesian.

Obviously anger which results in physical violence is not culture bound but is statistically bound to the male of the species. Riots and hooliganism by the losing side after a sporting event is an example of amok (as originally understood by Malays).

Here's a culture bound disorder exhibited by Malays both in Malaysia and Indonesia: melatah or latah. Basically it is extreme reaction to being startled. Although this has been observed in other cultures it is highly common among Malays to the point where society don't consider it unusual or recognise it as a "disorder": to us, it's just what old women do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latah

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_Frenchmen_of_Maine

[Patrick Degan]

Zar: A general term applied in Ethiopia, Somalia, Egypt, Sudan, Iran, and other North African and Middle Eastern societies to the experience of spirits possessing an individual. Persons possessed by a spirit may experience dissociative episodes that may include shouting, laughing, hitting the head against a wall, singing, or weeping. Individuals may show apathy and withdrawal, refusing to eat or carry out daily tasks, or may develop a long-term relationship the possessing spirit. Such behavior is not (emphasis mine) considered pathological locally.

That last one is kind of interesting. So, the cultures where you find zar don't consider it to be representative of any diseased state. I guess most European countries also experienced a time where demonic possession was a 'reality.'

In vodoun practise, zar is analogous to possession by the loa —spirit-guides. Vodoun religious ceremonies trigger such episodes at the height of emotional frenzy (though very few of them have ever involved hitting one's head against the wall). It is considered a perfectly normal occurrence in the religion. Santeria also has it's own spirit-possession phenomena, which again are analogous to zar.

[Darth Wong]

It makes perfect sense for the nature of a psychiatric disorder to be influenced by your culture. I would have been surprised if this were not the case.

[Superman]

Obviously anger which results in physical violence is not culture bound

True. I think it's the point was more about the mechanism of the anger's expression. If someone from one of these cultures, say, the Philippines, developed a case of 'amok' here, he would be viewed as probably having some type of acute psychotic episode, and he would probably be treated accordingly. Some people in the Philippines wouldn't necessarily see this as pathological though, but we probably would.

[Superman]

Crap, can someone clean that up? Sorry.

[slebetman]

Obviously anger which results in physical violence is not culture bound

True. I think it's the point was more about the mechanism of the anger's expression. If someone from one of these cultures, say, the Philippines, developed a case of 'amok' here, he would be viewed as probably having some type of acute psychotic episode, and he would probably be treated accordingly. Some people in the Philippines wouldn't necessarily see this as pathological though, but we probably would.

I very much doubt that someone going 'amok' wouldn't be regarded as mentally unstable. I just want to point out that it isn't culture bound, it's just different cultures use different words for testosterone fueled rampage. Over here it's called 'amok'. In the US it's called 'going postal'.

[Larz]

No misunderstanding here, I know it would be ludicrous to attempt to assess a patient without taking into account their social/cultural background; I've just never seen that section before. What I took issue with is that you came across in the OP as presenting these as actual catagorized diagnosis rather than being area, cultural specific folk diagnosis (well researched, but folk diagnosi regardless) used to aid clinicians in diagnosising patients in said such specific cutural areas. Of course if I'd paid attention to the fact you said it was an appendix in the first place .

Oh, and a good online resource on the DSM-IV-TR would be here: PsychiatryOnline

[Howedar]

It makes perfect sense for the nature of a psychiatric disorder to be influenced by your culture. I would have been surprised if this were not the case.

I would have expected that to greatly influence the prevalence of different disorders, but I find it interesting that it can apparently cause disorders that are completely unheard of in other cultures.