What is “KORO/ Genital Retraction Syndrome.”? mA Comprehensive Overview.  Koro is the fear of the genitals shrinking and retracting into the body. Koro is sometimes referred to as genital retraction syndrome. Females occasionally suffer from a variation of koro in which they believe that their nipples are retracting. Interestingly, koro often appears as an epidemic in which multiple cases are reported simultaneously within a specific geographic area. Cases of this fear have been reported around the world in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the U.S. The conclusion is that the psychological disappearance of the penis is a universal syndrome that was described recently in Asia and Africa and already in Medieval Europe. An attempt has been made in this Booklet to present a summarizing overview on ethnomedical aspects of koro (in Chinese called suoyang ), the panic anxiety state in which affected males believe that the penis is shrinking and/or retracting, and perhaps disappearing. …Dr. H. K. Saboowala. M.B.(Bom) .M.R.S.H.(London)

Unusual and Rare Psychological Disorders collects and synthesizes the scientific and clinical literatures for 21 lesser-known conditions.

In the last few years there has been a great revival of interest in culture-bound psychiatric syndromes. A spate of new papers has been published on well known and less familiar syndromes, and there have been a number of attempts to put some order into the field of inquiry. In a review of the literature on culture-bound syndromes up to 1969 Yap made certain suggestions for organizing thinking about them which for the most part have not received general acceptance (see Carr, this volume, p. 199). Through the seventies new descriptive and conceptual work was scarce, but in the last few years books and papers discussing the field were authored or edited by Tseng and McDermott (1981), AI-Issa (1982), Friedman and Faguet (1982) and Murphy (1982). In 1983 Favazza summarized his understanding of the state of current thinking for the fourth edition of the Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, and a symposium on culture-bound syndromes was organized by Kenny for the Eighth International Congress of Anthropology and Ethnology. The strong est impression to emerge from all this recent work is that there is no substantive consensus, and that the very concept, "culture-bound syndrome" could well use some serious reconsideration. As the role of culture-specific beliefs and prac tices in all affliction has come to be increasingly recognized it has become less and less clear what sets the culture-bound syndromes apart.

Why do some men become convinced—despite what doctors tell them—that their penises have, simply, disappeared. Why do people across the world become convinced that they are cursed to die on a particular date—and then do? Why do people in Malaysia suddenly “run amok”? In The Geography of Madness, acclaimed magazine writer Frank Bures investigates these and other “culture-bound” syndromes, tracing each seemingly baffling phenomenon to its source. It’s a fascinating, and at times rollicking, adventure that takes the reader around the world and deep into the oddities of the human psyche. What Bures uncovers along the way is a poignant and stirring story of the persistence of belief, fear, and hope.

Our purpose in assembling the papers in this collection is to introduce readers to studies of normal and abnormal behavior in Chinese culture. We want to offer a sense o/what psychiatrists and social scientists are doing to advance our under standing of this subject, including what fmdings are being made, what questions researched, what conundrums worried over. Since our fund of knowledge is obviously incomplete, we want our readers to be aware of the limits to what we know and to our acquisition of new knowledge. Although the subject is too vast and uncharted to support a comprehensive synthesis, in a few areas - e. g. , psychiatric epidemiology - enough is known for us to be able to present major reviews. The chapters themselves cover a variety of themes that we regard as both intrinsically interesting and deserving of more systematic evaluation. Many of the issues they address we believe to be valid concerns for comparative cross cultural studies. No attempt is made to artificially integrate these chapters, since the editors wish to highlight their distinctive interpretive frameworks as evidence of the rich variety of approaches that scholars take to this subject. 'We see this volume as a modest and self-consciously limited exploration. Here are some accounts and interpretations (but by no means all) of normal and ab normal behavior in the context of Chinese culture that we believe fashion a more discriminating understanding of at least a few important aspects of that subject.

Sleep Paralysis: Historical, Psychological, and Medical Perspectives offers the first comprehensive examination of sleep paralysis from both clinical and cultural perspectives. Dr. Brian Sharpless and Dr. Karl Doghramji provide a thorough and easily readable resource on the phenomenon and present differential diagnosis suggestions, medication guidance, and a new treatment approach for mental health professionals.

A new edition of a highly successful, award winning textbook for trainee psychiatrists, covering in one volume all the subjects required for the new MRCPsych and similar exams. Written in a highly engaging manner, it will also prove invaluable to qualified psychiatrists who need to keep up-to-date with the latest developments, as well as clinical psychologists, general practitioners, psychiatric nurses and senior medical students Concise yet comprehensive, Core Psychiatry relfects the latest developments in the curriculum plus all that is new and essential in clinical practice and the sciences that underpin it. It includes new information on the new Mental Capacity Act and Mental Health Act as well as enhanced sections on psychopharmacology, old age psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and rehabilitation. The book also makes refernce to the latest NICE guidelines and includes new sections on sleep medicine and trauma psychiatry. New edition of a popular MRCPsych curriculum based text Previous edition ‘Highly Commended’ (Mental Health category) in the BMA Awards 2005 Contains useful summary boxes, lists and key points to make last minute learning easy Comprehensive and authoritative resource written by contributors to ensure complete accuracy and currency of specialist information Chapters prepared by specialists working in conjunction with trainees – content totally up-to-date and jointly written by authors who have recently been in the exam situation Contains the latest findings in sleep medicine and trauma psychiatry Expanded section on psychology – including social psychology – to reflect the latest MRCPych examination format Text updated in full to reflect the new Mental Capacity Act and Mental Health Act Relevant chapters now contain a ‘skills and competency’ section to reflect changes in MRCPsych curriculum Updating and amendments to improve coverage of old age psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and rehabilitation Contains reference to the latest NICE guidelines in boxes and tables Enhanced discussion of the use of the best current management options, both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic, the latter including CBT, DBT, EMDR and psychodynamic group, couple and family therapy.

Learn how to assess and treat body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) Presents the best treatment practices Instructions for novel and advanced treatment strategies Tips for improving client engagement Illustrated with case studies Printable tools for clinical use More about the book This volume provides a user-friendly, evidence-based guide to the diagnosis, phenomenology, etiology, and treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). New and seasoned clinicians can learn about the foundations of CBT for BDD as well as the rationale and instructions for modifying the approach to meet the differences in symptoms found in this client group. The book explores techniques for treatment engagement, including adjusting therapeutic style, appropriate utilization of behavioral and cognitive therapy, family involvement, and motivational interviewing techniques. Other issues associated with BDD are also highlighted: poor insight, comorbidity, concerning rates of suicidality, and ambivalence regarding treatment. The authors outline step-by-step instructions for numerous novel and advanced treatment strategies, including perceptual re-training, attentional training, acceptance and commitment approaches, and ways to manage ongoing desire for cosmetic surgery. Detailed case examples are presented with corresponding treatment guidelines to highlight the variety in clinical presentation and corresponding treatment approaches. Printable tools in the appendices can be used in daily practice. Watch a video interview with the authors

Clinicians have long been fascinated by the rare and exotic in med icine. Similarly, psychiatrists and mental health professionals have been intrigued by the uncommon and extraordinary syndromes which, despite their rarity, have much to teach us about the limitless forms of human adaptation. Of particular interest is the fact that fragments and partial expressions of these rare disorders are often encountered in the dreams and fantasies of the "ordinary" patient. For this reason, the understanding and insights collected in this volume are likely to have clinical usefulness far beyond those rare occasions when we encounter the exotic in its fully developed form. These disorders demonstrate the complex interplay between intra psychic dynamic forces and the cultural influences which act to shape overt symptomatology. The section on extraordinary syndromes from non-Western cultures demonstrates the universality of the psychody namic roots of human suffering, despite the seemingly strange furms in which this suffering is expressed. As clinicians we are too often restricted by ethnocentric attitudes and culturally determined stereotypes. This volume provides a stimulating and enjoyable opportunity to reach beyond those limitations.

SIMS' SYMPTOMS IN THE MIND has, since its first publication in 1988, become established as the leading introductory textbook on clinical psychopathology. This new edition has been fully updated to include advances in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience and changes can be found in the chapters on memory disturbance, disorders of time, pathology of perception, disorders of speech and language, affect and emotional disorders, and disorders of volition and execution. In some cases, novel classifications of the abnormalities under consideration have been provided together with additional pathological phenomena - including palinopsia, akinetopsia, zeitraffer phenomenon, exosomesthesia - many of which have been rediscovered or imported from neurology. The popular and distinctive features are the use of figures, tables and illustrative case examples which have been further enhanced with additional case examples from the classical literature, autobiographical narratives and fiction. New section headings provide firmer thematic unity to the content Check boxes summarize important points such as classification of particular areas Additional examples of psychopathology are included which are drawn from a wide source including fiction, autobiography and clinical textbooks Includes an extended range of abnormalities, including those which have previously been neglected, such as alloaesthesia, palinaptia, teleopsia, pelopsia, akinetopsia, palinopsia, and paraprosopia Fully updated description of the theoretical aspects of memory and its disturbance Fully integrated neuropsychological concepts of imagery and internal mental representations in the chapter on abnormalities of perception