Culture-Bound Syndrome
Culture bound syndromes are folk illnesses characterized by outstanding changes in behavior and experience. Anthropologists involved in the study of the disparities involving symbolic interpretation tend to comprehend diseases and health concerning a specified culture. Culture specified syndromes are mainly categorized as conditions treated and renowned by folk specialists in various cultures (Crozier & Delille, 2018). These syndromes have an extended familiarity based on culture. A culture-bound syndrome also exhibits a total lack of comprehension of the syndrome as a common characteristic of the situation to other people’s culture. The syndrome is not similar to the geographically located disease with a specified identifiable character.
Culture bound syndromes are mostly limited to specific cultures and societies they are located and this gives a clear meaning for repetitive experience sets. The syndrome exhibits a major area of alarm in the research and study of mental health. Their existence is often analyzing the needed foundations through which the western psychiatry is found. In the previous years, it was speculated that culture-bound syndromes were only specified to the areas of origin. Later with increased populations, immigration tendencies and people`s movement, new culture-bound syndromes have been experienced all over the globe.
Susto is an example of a culture-bound disease common in Central and South America. It is viewed as a folk illness with intense psychological overtones. It is also referred to as soul loss and is defined as a fright sickness. Susto is mainly attributed to emotional shock or experiencing frightening incidents (Lopez & Garcia, 2018). Common experiences that can cause the illness include a death, loss of a valuable possession, being a victim of an accidental fall, being attacked or abandoned by a loved one, among others. These events are associated with helplessness and it is difficult to eliminate the cause of fear or shock. The body lacks the biological responses that help it fight fear due to social norms or cultural hindrances.
Susto is commonly grounded on the notion that an individual is comprised of organic and spiritual elements. The spiritual aspect can be separable from the original person by disturbing the memories that bring a difference in the various-ways-to-manage-obesity/levels. This situation can also occur when a spiritual aspect is controlled by the spirits found in the natural environment. For full recovery, according to some Indian groups in Latin America, the captured spirit has to be salvaged from the captor and led back for reincorporation into the body of the victim. Non-Indian cultural groups believe that the spiritual component is detached from the body due to the fear occasioned by a shocking or frightening incident. The person recovers from the illness by prompting the spirit to return to his body.
Susto can be heavily dependent on culture variation based on the exhibited symptoms. The detachment of the spiritual and organic elements in a person is exhibited in several ways. People suffering from susto tend to lose their weight, appetite, and body strength (Nogueira et al., 2015). They are also restless during sleep and exhibit a lack of energy or enthusiasm when awake. Susto patients are also likely to become depressed and introverted. They lack the interest and motivation to perform basic tasks or engaging activities. Some patients also experience body pains and fever.
It is widely agreed that the condition can result in death if not treated. The seriousness of the illness varies among individuals but it is important to obtain treatment at the earliest instance. Folk specialists are greatly relied on to provide treatment because of their expertise in the retrieval of souls. Natural remedies obtained from plants and herbs are commonly used to offer treatment. Toxins are extracted and the body is gently massaged to enable quicker blood flow. Physicians are involved in the treatment of stubborn cases because of the effectiveness of cosmopolitan medicine in the treatment of various illnesses not caused by physical causes.
Anxiety disorder has similar manifestations compared to the susto disease. The history of anxiety disorders is dated back to the 19th century. The scientists classified the disease as an expected future threat and were clearly distinguished from fright. The disease was mainly categorized as a medical challenge. Stoic and Epicurean philosophers attributed certain techniques to reach a mind freed from anxiety. Mainly, Robert Burton makes a vivid description of anxiety as panic attacks and mainly recognized as panophobia. In the early 20th century, anxiety became a major factor in examining the diagnosis factors to neuroses from neurathesma.
Anxiety disorder is mainly categorized into six types. Panic disorder is a major type of disorder mainly characterized by several repeated moments of extreme anxiety and worries about certain activities or events. The second type of anxiety attack is the agoraphobia in which one often avoids and fears places related because they had earlier bought shame and panic to a certain individual. Generalized anxiety disorder is also a common type of anxiety disorder commonly caused by excessive worry or fear of certain things. Selective mutism is another category of anxiety disorder and it a repeated failure for children to be unable to speak effectively. Social phobia can also be categorized as an anxiety disorder and is mainly characterized by fears that don’t meet the desired criteria or any other anxiety resulting from stress.
Symptoms of anxiety disorders include a nervous feeling of restlessness or feeling tensed (Langer et al., 2019). An individual often feels tensed due to certain aspects of fear. One feels a certain impending danger and panic. One can also experience an increased heart rate and this automatically leads to hyperventilation. Trembling and sweating are also attributed to panic disorders. One can also have trouble in sleeping brought by the nervousness. Gastrointestinal problems are another major symptom. Anxiety disorder is mainly caused by traumatic situations in one’s life but other anxiety symptoms can often lead to increased stress levels. Patients who already have underlying medical conditions are more prone to developing the disease. The best preventive methods of the diseases are by getting enough sleep and staying active throughout the day.
In conclusion, anxiety disorders and susto often present similar characteristics and in both, they are often attributed to causing damage to one’s mental health. Effective precautionary measures should be undertaken to ensure that people do not succumb to this illness. Patients who have already succumbed to this illness should ensure that they follow all the required guidelines prescribed by the doctor.
References
Lopez, C., & Garcia Lopez, C. (2018). Calling the Soul Back: Embodied Spirituality in Chicanx Narrative. Baltimore, Md.: The University of Arizona Press.
Nogueira, B., Mari, J., & Razzouk, D. (2015). Culture-bound syndromes in Spanish speaking Latin America: The case of Nervios, Susto and Ataques de Nervios. Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo), 42(6), 171-178.
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Crozier, I., & Delille, E. (2018). Introduction: Pow Meng Yap and the culture-bound syndromes. History of Psychiatry, 29(3), 363-385.
Langer, J., Tonge, N., Piccirillo, M., Rodebaugh, T., Thompson, R., & Gotlib, I. (2019). Symptoms of social anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder: A network perspective. Journal of Affective Disorders, 243, 531-538.
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