A case of two culture-bound syndromes (Koro and Dhat syndrome) coexisting with obsessive–compulsive disorder

Ghosh, Sayanti; Chowdhury, Arabinda N.

doi:10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_298_19

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Once the treatment had been adjusted to target his OCD, his Koro syndrome improved within a month. 10 Similarly, a patient whose Koro syndrome seemed to be most associated with major depressive disorder achieved cessation of symptoms when treated with a combination of 150 mg trimipramine and bromazepam, along with supportive psychotherapy. 33 In yet another case report of an Italian male, after a one month regimen of 150 mg venlafaxine, 20 mg olanzapine, and 7.5 mg lorazepam, his delusional ideation and depression decreased, as demonstrated by reduced scores on measures such as the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS).…”

Section: Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Koro Syndrome: Epidemiology, Psychiatric and Physical Risk Factors, Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options

Strong

Cao

Zhou

et al. 2023

Health Psychology Research

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Koro syndrome is a multi-tiered disease presenting as an overwhelming belief that one’s sex organs are shrinking into their body. Moderate to severe anxiety attacks are associated with the condition, along with a fear of imminent death. Koro is often culturally related and is most seen as an epidemic form in East and Southeast Asia, although it can present anywhere worldwide in its sporadic form. The condition typically affects young males who believe in sex-related myths, and many individuals can co-present with anxiety, depression, or even psychosis. Although most presentations of Koro are self-limiting, the condition is harmful for one’s self-esteem and quality of life, and some individuals may go through extreme, physically injurious measures to prevent genital retraction. Treatments include the use of psychotherapy that has a sex education component, especially if the patient believes in culturally rooted myths. In sporadic Koro, it is believed that if the primary psychiatric disorder is treated with anxiolytics, antidepressants, sedatives, or psychotics, the secondary Koro-like symptoms will also fade. Additional investigation on the prevalence, pathogenesis, factors that correlate with treatment efficacy are needed to fully understand Koro syndrome.

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Section: Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 Now, Koro has been most common in India, with the past four epidemics occurring since 2010 affecting about 250 people. 7,10 However, the apparent prevalence of Koro epidemics in India within the past decade could be due to better clinical classification of the syndrome and reporting in literature within the country.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Koro Syndrome: Epidemiology, Psychiatric and Physical Risk Factors, Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options

Strong

Cao

Zhou

et al. 2023

Health Psychology Research

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“…17 Moreover, Koro-like syndromes can be conceptualized as nonspecific syndromes related to other psychiatric disorders (eg, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, somatic conditions) and biological conditions (eg, urological diseases, brain tumors, other neurological diseases, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer). [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] In a psychotic context, the retraction by evil or persecutors must be differentiated from the symptom of Koro, dynamic, sudden. In psychotic complaints, it is usually a slow or long process.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classical Koro and Koro-Like Symptoms: Illustration from Canada

Stip

Nguyen

Bertulies-Esposito

et al. 2021

Journal of Psychosexual Health

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Koro syndrome has been colorfully described as a pathological distortion of one’s body image of the genital organ. In Koro, body image dysphoria is characterized by severe anxiety related to the delusional idea that one’s genitals will shrink and retract into one’s abdomen, eventually leading to death. This syndrome was first reported in South East Asia, where endemics have been described, but it has also sporadically occurred globally. We present a systematic literature review on Koro syndrome and report 7 cases from Canada. A search review with PubMed and Google Scholar resulted in 504 entries. Sixty-seven manuscripts were eventually selected following a thorough elimination process. The resultant literature underscored the cultural diversity that underlay the reported cases. Various aspects of Koro have been examined (eg, etiological, clinical, diagnostic, and cultural aspects). It has stimulated substantial scholarly debate, discussions, correspondences, and arguments from anthropological, psychiatric, psychological, and biological perspectives. In our series, it seems that Koro could have been misattributed here. The primary concern was not with penile retraction of the cases. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a series of cases is documented from North America where the syndrome is often ignored. We highlight the potential differences between the classical Koro syndrome and a collection of beliefs related to the perception or delusion of penile retraction in other codable psychiatric disorders, Koro-like syndrome. Understanding Koro syndrome beyond geographic boundaries is in line with our collected case reports of Koro from outside Asia.

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“…Dhat syndrome, in the past, has been linked to Koro syndrome, which likewise is a culture-bound syndrome. Distorted ideas regarding genital organs and their functioning are core to the psychopathology of these two ailments [ 2 , 3 ]. In addition, these two syndromes have been linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When Dhat Syndrome is Delusional: A Case Series

Debanjan,

Debanjan

2024

Consortium Psychiatricum

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Dhat syndrome, a culture-bound syndrome, is associated with anxiety, somatic, and mood symptoms related to semen loss, commonly in males and uncommonly in females, associated with vaginal discharge. Only one case report has been described in the past with Dhat delusions associated with schizophrenia. In this case report, we describe two cases of somatic delusional disorder with Dhat-like content and paranoid personality traits. who initially presented with classical symptoms of Dhat syndrome. Dhat syndrome may present as a prodromal manifestation of a psychotic illness. Further studies are needed to explore which at-risk patients presenting with Dhat syndrome may present with psychotic symptoms in the future.

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A case of two culture-bound syndromes (Koro and Dhat syndrome) coexisting with obsessive–compulsive disorder

Cited by 9 publications

References 3 publications

Koro Syndrome: Epidemiology, Psychiatric and Physical Risk Factors, Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options

Koro Syndrome: Epidemiology, Psychiatric and Physical Risk Factors, Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options

Classical Koro and Koro-Like Symptoms: Illustration from Canada

When Dhat Syndrome is Delusional: A Case Series

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