The Culture-Bound Syndromes: Folk Illnesses of Psychiatric and Anthropological Interest (Culture, Illness and Healing, 7)

In the last few years there has been a great revival of interest in culture-bound psychiatric syndromes. A spate of new papers has been published on well known and less familiar syndromes, and there have been a number of attempts to put some order into the field of inquiry. In a review of the literature on culture-bound syndromes up to 1969 Yap made certain suggestions for organizing thinking about them which for the most part have not received general acceptance (see Carr, this volume, p. 199). Through the seventies new descriptive and conceptual work was scarce, but in the last few years books and papers discussing the field were authored or edited by Tseng and McDermott (1981), AI-Issa (1982), Friedman and Faguet (1982) and Murphy (1982). In 1983 Favazza summarized his understanding of the state of current thinking for the fourth edition of the Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, and a symposium on culture-bound syndromes was organized by Kenny for the Eighth International Congress of Anthropology and Ethnology. The strong­ est impression to emerge from all this recent work is that there is no substantive consensus, and that the very concept, "culture-bound syndrome" could well use some serious reconsideration. As the role of culture-specific beliefs and prac­ tices in all affliction has come to be increasingly recognized it has become less and less clear what sets the culture-bound syndromes apart. Culture Bound Or Construct Bound? The Syndromes And Dsm-iii / Charles C. Hughes -- Sorting The Culture-bound Syndromes / Ronald C. Simons -- Part I. Folk Illnesses Of Psychiatric Interest In Which Some Evidence Supports The Hypothesis Of A Neurophysiological Shaping Factor -- A. The Startle Matching Taxon -- Introduction / Ronald C. Simons -- The Resolution Of The Latah Paradox / Ronald C. Simons -- Paradox Lost : The Latah Problem Revisited / Michael G. Kenny -- Latah Ii -- Problems With A Purely Symbolic Interpretation : A Reply To Michael G. Kenny / Ronald C. Simons -- Shamans And Imu : Among Two Ainu Groups -- Toward A Cross-cultural Model Of Interpretation / Emiko Ohnuki-tierney -- Commentary / Charles C. Hughes -- B. The Sleep Paralysis Taxon -- Introduction / Ronald C. Simons -- Uqamairineq And Uqumanigianiq : Eskimo Sleep Paralysis / Joseph D. Bloom And Richard D. Gelardin -- The Old Hag Phenomenon As Sleep Paralysis : A Biocultural Interpretation / Robert C. Ness -- Commentary / Charles C. Hughes -- Part Ii. Folk Illnesses Of Psychiatric Interest In Which A Neurophysiological Shaping Factor Is Only Suspected -- A. The Genital Retraction Taxon -- Introduction / Ronald C. Simons -- Koro -- A Cultural Disease / Gwee Ah Leng -- Koro In A Nigerian Male Patient : A Case Report / O.i. Ifabumuyi And G.g.c. Rwegellera -- The Koro Pattern Of Depersonalization In An American Schizophrenic Patient / J. Guy Edwards -- Indigenous Koro, A Genital Retraction Syndrome Of Insular Southeast Asia : A Critical Review / James W. Edwards -- Commentary / Charles C. Hughes -- B. The Sudden Mass Assult Taxon -- Introduction / Ronald C. Simons -- Ethno-behaviorism And The Culture-bound Syndromes : The Case Of Amok / John E. Carr -- Sudden Mass Assult With Grenade : An Epidemic Amok Form From Laos / Joseph Westermeyer -- The Amok Syndrome In Papua And New Guinea / B.g. Burton-bradley -- Amok / J. Arboleda-florez -- Commentary / Charles C Hughes -- C. The Running Taxon -- Introduction / Ronald C. Simons -- Pibloktoq (hysteria) Among The Polar Eskimo : An Ethnopsychiatric Study / Zachary Gussow -- Grisi Siknis In Miskito Culture / Philip A. Dennis -- The Transformation Of Arctic Hysteria / Edward F. Foulks -- Commentary / Charles C. Hughes -- Part Iii. Folk Illnesses Usually Listed As Culture-bound Psychiatric Syndromes Which Should Probably No Longer Be So Considered -- A. The Fright Illness Taxon -- Introduction / Ronald C. Simons -- The Folk Illness Called Susto / Arthur J. Rubel, Carl W. O'nell, Rolando Collado -- Saladera -- A Culture-bound Misfortune Syndrome In The Peruvian Amazon / Marlene Dobkin De Rios -- Lanti, Illness By Fright Among Bisayan Filipinos / Donn V. Hart -- Mogo Laya, A New Guinea Fright Illness / Stephen Frankel -- Commentary / Charles C. Hughes -- B. The Cannibal Compulsion Taxon -- Introduction / Ronald C. Simons -- Windigo Psychosis : The Anatomy Of An Emic-etic Confusion / Lou Marano -- Commentaries And Replies / H.b.m. Murphy [and Others] -- Commentary / Charles C. Hughes. Edited By Ronald C. Simons And Charles C. Hughes. Includes Bibliographies And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Culture-Bound or Construct-Bound?....Pages 3-24 Sorting the Culture-Bound Syndromes....Pages 25-38 Front Matter....Pages 39-39 Introduction: The Startle Matching Taxon ....Pages 41-42 The Resolution of the Latah Paradox....Pages 43-62 Paradox Lost: The Latah Problem Revisited....Pages 63-76 Latah II — Problems with a Purely Symbolic Interpretation....Pages 77-89 Shamans and Imu : Among Two Ainu Groups....Pages 91-110 The Startle Matching Taxon....Pages 111-113 Introduction: The Sleep Paralysis Taxon ....Pages 115-116 Uqamairineq and Uqumanigianiq : Eskimo Sleep Paralysis....Pages 117-122 The Old Hag Phenomenon as Sleep Paralysis: A Biocultural Interpretation....Pages 123-145 The Sleep Paralysis Taxon....Pages 147-148 Front Matter....Pages 149-149 Introduction: The Genital Retraction Taxon ....Pages 151-153 Koro — a Cultural Disease....Pages 155-159 Koro in a Nigerian Male Patient: A Case Report....Pages 161-163 The Koro Pattern of Depersonalization in an American Schizophrenic Patient....Pages 165-168 Indigenous Koro , a Genital Retraction Syndrome of Insular Southeast Asia: A Critical Review....Pages 169-191 The Genital Retraction Taxon....Pages 193-194 Introduction: The Sudden Mass Assault Taxon ....Pages 197-197 Ethno-Behaviorism and the Culture-Bound Syndromes: the Case of Amok ....Pages 199-223 Front Matter....Pages 149-149 Sudden Mass Assault with Grenade: An Epidemic Amok Form from Laos....Pages 225-235 The Amok Syndrome in Papua and New Guinea....Pages 237-249 Amok....Pages 251-262 Sudden Mass Assault Taxon....Pages 263-264 Introduction: The Running Taxon....Pages 267-269 Pibloktoq (Hysteria) Among the Polar Eskimo....Pages 271-287 Grisi Siknis in Miskito Culture....Pages 289-306 The Transformation of Arctic Hysteria ....Pages 307-324 The Running Taxon....Pages 325-326 Front Matter....Pages 327-327 Introduction: The Fright Illness Taxon....Pages 329-331 The Folk Illness Called Susto ....Pages 333-350 Saladera — A Culture-Bound Misfortune Syndrome in the Peruvian Amazon....Pages 351-369 Lanti , Illness by Fright among Bisayan Filipinos....Pages 371-397 Mogo Laya , a New Guinea Fright Illness....Pages 399-404 Fright-Illness Taxon....Pages 405-407 Introduction: The Cannibal Compulsion Taxon ....Pages 409-410 Windigo Psychosis: The Anatomy of an Emic-Etic Confusion....Pages 411-448 Commentaries and Replies....Pages 449-462 The Cannibal Compulsion Taxon....Pages 463-465 Back Matter....Pages 467-516