This week’s readings have been very informative about culture and associated syndromes. I have learned that certain cultures experience specific syndromes.  A syndrome that caught my attention was the brain fatigue syndrome mostly experienced in sub-Saharan Africa. First identified in Nigeria by Raymond Prince (1960), the syndrome mostly affected students in high school or college and government employees who were studying part time.  The illness is attributed to brain fatigue due to extreme mental work. In Nigeria, as Prince noted, education was the affair of the family (Tseng, 2006). The family supported the brighter member for him/her to help them in future. This burdens the student with the pressure of maintaining the prestige of their family causing greats stress.

Later, there was a discovery that the syndrome is not confined to students and studying excessively is just a precipitating factor. The syndrome is confined to patients with neurosis or depressive neurosis (Tseng, 2006). I think this syndrome is not only experienced to Africa. How is it that only Africans can suffer from brain fatigue leading to neurosis? Though the syndrome was largely observed in Africa, I have a feeling that anybody subjected to the pressure of improving the family’s status through education can suffer from this syndrome.

Ethically, it is important to different between a syndrome and behavior. If people from a certain culture have this peculiar behavior, it should not be considered as a syndrome just because it is peculiar. Some cultures in Africa, for example, allow men to exchange their wives (Gausset, 2001). Believing this to be a disorder can be a misdiagnosis. It is significant for one to familiarize oneself with the cultural behaviors and practices of the patient.

When working with clients of diverse cultural backgrounds, one need to consider social factors such as religion, cultural practices, believes and any other behavior or condition that link to an individual’s cultural background. We should not only confine ourselves to our cultural practices and belief that anything else is a syndrome. That would be unethical.

References

Gausset, Q. (2001). AIDS and cultural practices in Africa: the case of the Tonga (Zambia). Social Science & Medicine, 52(4), 509-518.

Getzfeld, A., & Schwartz, S. (2013).  Abnormal psychology: DSM-5 update . San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education

Tseng, W.S. (2006). From Peculiar Psychiatric Disorders through Culture-bound Syndromes to Culture-related Specific Syndromes. Transcultural Psychiatry, 43(4), 554-576. doi:10.1177/1363461506070781Rerieved from the Sagepub database.

Response to Amy McGalin

Great thought Amy, depression is the major cause of suicides and for family members to contemplate committing suicide, they must be suffering from depression. Again, as you put it, people suffering from factitious disorder seem to pretend to be ill to receive a reward. I think that after receiving shocking news, these women have a feeling of loneliness and the want for a gift is just to fill the empty hole inside them. I agree with you that when dealing with patients from different cultures, it is important to enquire about any cultural related syndromes (Getzfeld  & Schwartz, 2013). However, it is important to different between cultural practices and cultural syndromes.

Reference

Getzfeld, A., & Schwartz, S. (2013).  Abnormal psychology: DSM-5 update . San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education

Response to Jessica Clinkinbeard

Hi Jessica

Great piece of work there, I did not know there is a syndrome where people fear offending others through eye contact, blushing or body odor. I think this kind of syndrome can affect how one interact and relate with others. How can you interact with someone when you have the fear that your body odor will offend him or her? I agree with you that understanding the difference between cultural syndromes and cultural behavior is important to prevent misdiagnosis (Getzfeld  & Schwartz, 2013). Some cultural factors such as religion and believes should be considered when dealing with patient from different cultures.

Reference

Getzfeld, A., & Schwartz, S. (2013).  Abnormal psychology: DSM-5 update . San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education

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