Susto

Susto (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsusto], Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsuʃtu]) is a cultural illness primarily among Latin American cultures. It is described by Razzouk et al. as a condition of being frightened and "chronic somatic suffering stemming from emotional trauma or from witnessing traumatic experiences lived by others".^[1]

Symptoms

Among the indigenous peoples of Latin America, in which this illness is most common, susto may be conceptualized as a case of spirit attack.^[2] Symptoms of susto are thought to include nervousness, anorexia, insomnia, listlessness, fever, depression, and diarrhea.^[1]

Classification

Susto may be a culturally dependent variation of the symptoms of panic attack, distinct from anxiety and depressive disorders.^[1]

See also

• Psychological trauma

References

1. Razzouk D, Nogueira B, Mari Jde J (May 2011). "The contribution of Latin American and Caribbean countries on culture bound syndromes studies for the ICD-10 revision: key findings from a working in progress". Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 33 Suppl 1: S5–20. PMID 21845335.
2. Castillo, Richard (1997). Culture & Mental Illness: A Client-Centered Approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company

Further reading

• Rubel, Arthur J (July 1964). "The Epidemiology of a Folk Illness: Susto in Hispanic America". Ethnology 3 (3): 268–283. doi:10.2307/3772883. Also published as Chapter 12 in Landy, David, ed. (1977). Culture, Disease, and Healing: Studies in Medical Anthropology. New York: Macmillan Press. ISBN 0-02-367390-7.
• Susto: The context of community morbidity patterns
• Rubel, Arthur J; O'Nell, Carl W; Collado-Ardon, Rolando (1991). Susto A Folk Illness. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520076341.
• O'Neil, Dennis. "Explanations of Illness". Medical Anthropology. O'Neil. Retrieved 6 March 2013.