Susto
Susto (Spanish pronunciation: cultural illness primarily among Latin American cultures. It is described as a condition of "chronic somatic suffering stemming from emotional trauma or from witnessing traumatic experiences lived by others".
Symptoms
Among the indigenous peoples of
Symptoms of susto are thought to include nervousness, anorexia, insomnia, listlessness, fever, depression, and diarrhea.[2]
Treatment
Treatments among indigenous people are natural. Some natural treatments to susto consist of using plants as medicine; sweating out the toxins; and massaging to encourage blood flow. Prayer is a big part of the treatment of susto. In addition to prayer, healing rituals are also used, some of which include sweeping and giving gifts.
Classification
Susto may be a culturally dependent variation of the symptoms of a panic attack, which is distinct from anxiety and depressive disorders.[2]
See also
References
Further reading
- Rubel, Arthur J (July 1964). "The Epidemiology of a Folk Illness: Susto in Hispanic America". 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. ISBN 9780520076341.
- O'Neil, Dennis. "Explanations of Illness". Medical Anthropology. O'Neil. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2013.