A Case Series of Unexplained Somatic Symptoms of Gilhari Syndrome - A Culture-bound Syndrome and Review
Main Article Content
Abstract
Culture plays an important role in shaping the emotional & behavioral expression of a person. Many times, our beliefs color the psychological and somatic symptoms of psychiatric illness as seen in various culture-bound syndromes. We are describing 3 cases of one such culture-bound syndrome called Gilhari syndrome. In the management of these cases, special consideration to phenomenology is needed along with consultation and liaison with various specialties.
Article Details
Copyright (c) 2015 Sharma M, et al.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Washington (DC): American Psychiatric Association; 2013. Available from: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-14907-000
2. World Health Organization. The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1993. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241544228
3. Grover S, Gupta S, Avasthi A. Dhat syndrome: A review. Indian J Psychol Med. 2015;37(2):129–137.
4. Isaac M. Culture and Common Mental Disorders in India. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2001.
5. Akhtar S. Four culture-bound psychiatric syndromes in India. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 1988;34:70–74. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/002076408803400109
6. Jain A, Kamal Kumar V, Omprakash J, Suthar N. “Gilhari (Lizard) Syndrome” – A new culture-bound syndrome. J Psychiatry. 2014;17:117. Available from: https://doi.org/10.4172/1994-8220.1000117
7. Behere PB, Natraj GS. Dhat syndrome: The phenomenology of a culture-bound sex neurosis of the Orient. Indian J Psychiatry. 1984;26(1):76–8. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21965960/
8. Chaturvedi SK, Broota A. Possession syndrome in North India. Indian J Psychiatry. 1989;31(3):235–242.
9. Kar SK, Chandrima RM. Koro epidemics in India: Review of the literature and case reports. J Indian Assoc Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2011;7(2):60–66.
10. Durst R, Rosca-Rebaudengo P. The disorder named Koro. Behav Neurol. 1991;4(1):1–13. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3233/ben-1991-4101
11. Edwards JW. Indigenous Koro, a genital retraction syndrome of insular Southeast Asia: A critical review. Cult Med Psychiatry. 1984;8(1):1–24. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00053099
12. Yap PM. Classification of the culture-bound reactive syndromes. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1967;1:172–9. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3109/00048676709159191
13. Littlewood R, Lipsedge M. Aliens and Alienists: Ethnic Minorities and Psychiatry. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books; 1985. Available from: http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/3025/1/91.pdf
14. Ventriglio A, Ayonrinde O, Bhugra D. Relevance of culture-bound syndromes in the 21st century. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2016;70(1):3–6. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12359
15. Verma K, Bhojak M, Singhal A, Jhirwal O, Khunteta A. “Gilahari (Lizard) Syndrome”: Is it a new culture-bound syndrome? A case report. Indian J Psychiatry. 2001;43(1):70–72. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2955937/