S4 Episode 25: Cultural Variations in Psychosomatic Disorders – Bound by the Cloak
Have you ever wondered why certain illnesses only seem to appear in specific cultures? How do cultural beliefs shape our experience of health and illness? In this episode, we explore the world of culture-bound syndromes with medical anthropologist, Peter Guarnaccia.
These intriguing, culturally specific disorders—such as susto, koro, and ataque de nervios—offer unique insights into how mental health, the body, and culture intersect. Peter helps us explore the rich and varied ways different societies interpret psychological distress, physical ailments, and healing practices that challenge Western medical norms.
Peter is an Emeritus Professor at Rutgers University, where he served for 36 years in the Department of Human Ecology at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Additionally, he was an Investigator at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research in Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences. Peter is widely recognized for his contributions to the study of cultural health practices and mental health.
Show Notes:
Articles:
Acculturation and Its Discontents: A Case for Bringing Anthropology Back into the Conversation (2016)
Are Ataques de Nervios in Puerto Rican Children Associated With Psychiatric Disorder? (2005)
Ataques de nervios in the Puerto Rican Diagnostic Interview Schedule: the impact of cultural categories on psychiatric epidemiology (1989)
Co-occurrence of Sexsomnia and Dhat Syndrome in an Adolescent Male (2024)
Ataque de nervios: The impact of sociodemographic, health history, and psychological dimensions on Puerto Rican adults (2023)
Pathologies of Immigration: Resignation Syndrome (2022)
What we can learn from ‘untranslatable’ illnesses (2020)
Culture-Bound Syndromes: Entire Disease Category Your Doctor May Be Missing (2016)
The Diseases You Only Get if You Believe in Them (2016)
Is Depression A Real Disease? Reflections on “Depression as a Culture-Bound Syndrome” (2013)
Website:
Peter Guarnaccia, Rutgers University
Books:
Immigration, Diversity and Student Journeys to Higher Education (2019) by Peter Guarnaccia
A Death Retold: Jesica Santillan, the Bungled Transplant, and Paradoxes of Medical Citizenship (2009) by Keith Wailoo, Julie Livingston, Peter Guarnaccia
Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice (2023) by Jennifer Mullan
Our Most Troubling Madness
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) by Anne Fadiman
Bound by the Cloak 