culture bound syndrome

Culture Bound Syndrome Option.html

Culture Bound Syndrome Option (Worth 5 points)

• This option can only be completed once for 5 points; there is no 10-point option.
• Minimum length is one page.
• Choose one culture-bound syndrome that does not appear in the Culture Bound Syndrome article in Module 4. The syndrome you choose cannot be a mental disorder in the US – for example, ADD/ADHD is technically a culture bound syndrome. Also, you cannot use Hikikomori.
• You can find Culture Bound Syndromes on the internet. 

 

Answer each of the questions and prompts below:

• Give a brief description of this syndrome – no more than two sentences – then answer each question below.
• What nation(s) is it found in?
• What category(ies) of people are most affected? (Age, sex/gender, race/ethnicity, etc.?)
• What are the physical symptoms of this syndrome? For example, do people with this syndrome report feeling pain or discomfort? Where in the body is the pain felt – the shoulders, neck, head, etc.?
• How do people with this syndrome behave? (Examples: Do they isolate themselves from society, like those with Hikikomori? Do they believe their genitals shrink like those suffering with Koro?)
• What are some possible social and cultural explanations for this syndrome? (Think of how Hikikomori is partially explained by pressures from Japanese cram schools, job competition, Japanese cultural acceptance of solitude, etc.)
• How are people with this syndrome treated? (Are they placed in mental institutions? Are they given “Western” pharmaceuticals or treated with folk medicines? Anything else?)
• In your opinion, does this syndrome seem very similar to a Western mental disorder, such as depression and/or anxiety? Explain.

Technical Aspects of Paper and Due Date:

• For 5 points, the paper should be at least a page in length (an entire page of information addressing the topic. I’m not interested in space-filling headings).

• Your paper should be double-spaced.

• Here is a list of acceptable fonts and sizes: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia.

• No title page is needed.

• You must use at least one source, of course. Wikipedia isn’t acceptable as a source.

• Make a small references page.

• Use citations in the body of your paper.

• Grammar and spelling count.

• Please submit your work in a word doc. Name your file “Culture Bound Syndrome Option”.

Due by March 13 at 11:59 pm. Submit it to “Assignments 1 and 2” dropbox.