Koro and Psychosis
- 1 September 1984
- journal article
- case report
- Published by Royal College of Psychiatrists in The British Journal of Psychiatry
- Vol. 145 (3) , 335
- https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.145.3.335
Abstract
‘Koro’ has been described as a culture-bound syndrome with localised depersonalisation confined to the penis, occurring in the context of a panic state with fear of impending disaster (Yap 1965,1969). Because ghosts are not thought to possess genitals, penile shrinkage is believed to be potentially fatal, with the risk that the victim will himself turn into a ghost. Until recently the syndrome was thought to be restricted to Southern Chinese emigres in Hong Kong and South East Asia. We wish to report two such cases, one in a West Indian and the other in a Greek Cypriot, admitted to Friern Hospital.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- KORO IN HERTFORDSHIREThe Lancet, 1979
- KORO IN A LONDONERThe Lancet, 1978
- ANXIETY STATES (ANXIETY NEUROSIS)Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 1973
- Koro—A Culture-bound Depersonalization SyndromeThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1965