Susto Explained

Susto (pronounced as /es/, pronounced as /pt/) is a 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 Latin America, in which this illness is most common, susto may be conceptualized as a case of spirit attack.^[1] 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

• Psychological trauma

Further reading

• Rubel. Arthur J. The Epidemiology of a Folk Illness: Susto in Hispanic America . July 1964. . 3 . 3 . 268 - 283. 10.2307/3772883. 3772883. Also published as Chapter 12 in Book: David . Landy . 1977 . Culture, Disease, and Healing: Studies in Medical Anthropology . New York . . 0-02-367390-7 . registration .
• Susto: The context of community morbidity patterns
• Book: Susto A Folk Illness. Rubel. Arthur J. Carl W. O'Nell. Rolando. Collado-Ardon. 1991. 9780520076341. University of California Press.
• Web site: O'Neil. Dennis. Explanations of Illness. Medical Anthropology. O'Neil. 6 March 2013. 17 August 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120817130521/http://anthro.palomar.edu/medical/med_1.htm. dead.

Notes and References

1. Castillo, Richard (1997). Culture & Mental Illness: A Client-Centered Approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company
2. Razzouk D, Nogueira B, Mari Jde J . The contribution of Latin American and Caribbean countries on culture bound syndromes studies for the ICD-10 revision: key findings from a work in progress . Rev Bras Psiquiatr . 33 Suppl 1 . S5–20 . May 2011 . 21845335 . 10.1590/S1516-44462011000500003 . free .