As many of us know, there are unlimited differences in cultures around the world from religion to the way we communicate with one another. What many of us may not know, however, is that there are actually specific psychological disorders found only in certain areas of the world. There are several well known culture-bound disorders as well as variances in disorders and on theoretical reasons behind the disorders themselves that will be discussed throughout.
To be clear, not all of the strange things people do all over the world are disorders nor are culture-bound syndromes limited to any one region. Anorexia/bulimia nervosa, for example, is a disorder found in the west but not in Third World countries. This could be due to the differences in emphasis the cultures put on thinness of women in the media or feelings of a need to be in control (Matsumoto, 1994). Just north of the U.S., there are the Algonquin Indians in Canada who are unique in having a disorder among them called witiko. Witiko is a delusional disorder that involves the belief that one has been possessed by a man-eating monster. Oftentimes the person suffering will commit suicide before acting on these cannibalistic impulses (Matsumoto, 1994). Witiko is a rare example of a culture-bound syndrome found in Indian culture. Many of their practices are centered on spiritual communication and therefore not considered abnormal or disorders. Arctic Hysteria is another culture-bound syndrome that falls in the somatoform category of disorders. Arctic Hysteria is only found in Alaska, and the
symptoms include dissociative episodes with extreme excitement and are often followed by grand mal seizures and comas (Simons, 2001). Moving on to eastern cultures, specifically Southeast Asia and Pacifi ...