Man’s culture is not just limited to language or clothing, it is a vast encyclopedic collection of perceptions, ideology, thought pattern, personal values, attitude, traditions, and values. All of these collectively determine a man’s personality. Anthropologists and psychologists understand that certain personality traits are only observed in specific cultures. Over a span of several decades, doctors around the world have noticed that certain culture-bound fears have resulted in the psychological ailment that affects people. Curiously, these syndromes restricted only to those regions.
Let us read about the most common disorders that affect people from a particular culture and these will definitely leave you pondering.
1.The Wendigo psychosis
What is it?
If you are wondering why this name sounds familiar, you are onto something. Wendigo is the name of the malevolent spirit that haunts Louis Creed and his family in Pet Sematary. Originally conceived by the Algonquians as an evil, cannibalistic spirit, it was used as a metaphor for cold, famine and starvation. The psychological disorder is characterized by insatiable greed that, if left unchecked, can cause serious harm to the individual and society.
Who are affected?
People from the United States and Canada.
2. Running amuck
What is it?
The way we know it, the phrase means to run wild, but it is also a form of mental disorder. The phrase originates in the Malaysian culture, where people believed that the odd behavior was caused by hantu belian, an evil tiger spirit that enters the body and causes the person to commit heinous acts. Modern psychologists use it to refer to a person who commits a crime in the grip of strong emotion.
Who are affected?
People from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines
3. Bouffee delirante
What it is?
The term is applied to a short-lived psychosis. The person affected by this suffers sudden attacks with small durations of paranoid delusions and hallucinations. The term was introduced by Valentin Magnan in 1886. Magnan believed that the reactions were an outcome of an intense fear of persecution. Modern psychologists classified this as a form of psychotic disorder which in some cases may lead to schizophrenia.
Who are affected?
People from West Africa and Haiti.
4. Hwabeyeong
What is it?
It is a form of mental illness which arises when people repress their anger without addressing the source. It is sometimes mistakenly classified as depression or stress. Culturally, people attributed this to an imbalance of the five bodily elements (water, wood, fire, earth, and metal). The symptoms may include palpitations, insomnia, anorexia, hot flashes, being easily startled, a feeling of unfairness, frequent sighing, feeling guilty and frequent feelings of doom.
Who is affected?
People from Korea
Well said! At the end it’s all about the human emotion and perception.