Culture-bound syndromes: a re-evaluation

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511543609.013

11 - Culture-bound syndromes: a re-evaluation

from Part II - Culture and mental health

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 August 2009

Dinesh Bhugra ,

Athula Sumathipala and

Sisira Siribaddana

Edited by

Dinesh Bhugra and

Kamaldeep Bhui

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Dinesh Bhugra: Affiliation:
Mental Health and Cultural Diversity Section of Cultural Psychiatry Institute of Psychiatry King's College London De Crespigny Park London SE5 8AF UK
Athula Sumathipala: Affiliation:
Section of Epidemiology Institute of Psychiatry King's College London De Crespigny Park London SE5 8AF UK
Sisira Siribaddana: Affiliation:
Sri Lankan Twin Registry Project 25a Temple Road Thalapattiya Nugegoda Sri Lanka
Dinesh Bhugra: Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
Kamaldeep Bhui: Affiliation:
Barts & The London, Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry

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Summary

EDITORS' INTRODUCTION

For over a century, cultures in traditional societies were seen as providing exotic and esoteric clinical conditions, which were not ‘seen’ in other cultures. The history of clinical anthropology followed two different routes in Western Europe and North America. By and large in the colonial times the anthropologists studied the ruled populations, whereas in North America the focus was on native and aboriginal groups. As a result, the clinicians who went to work in the colonies decided that certain conditions occurred only as a result of civilizations and that the colonialized people could possible not suffer from these. On the other hand, conditions were seen ‘exclusively’ in certain ethnic groups and were a result of under development of the brain and the behaviour was uncivilized. Amok, seen in the Malay archipelago, was criminalized by the British. Consequently, a previously acceptable social behaviour was criminal behaviour and all those who suffered from it were sent to prison. There is clear evidence that a similar response is seen in other cultures but not seen as criminal.

Using amok among other so-called culture-bound syndromes, Bhugra and colleagues set the scene on the development of the concept of culture-bound syndromes. They argue that all psychiatric syndromes are affected by culture and are within this boundedness. Running amok in the Far East is no different from individuals taking guns and shooting randomly and indiscriminately at school children. Latah has similar hyperstartle response in other cultures. Dhat or semen-loss anxiety as seen in culture-bound manner in the Indian subcontinent has been historically reported in so-called developed countries.

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Type: Chapter
Information: Textbook of Cultural Psychiatry , pp. 141 - 156

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511543609.013 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2007

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