U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). Improving Cultural Competence. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2014. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 59.)

Cover of Improving Cultural Competence

Improving Cultural Competence.

Show details

DSM-5 Cultural Concepts of Distress

SyndromeDescriptionPopulations
Ataque de nerviosCommonly reported symptoms include uncontrollable shouting, attacks of crying, trembling, heat in the chest rising into the head, and verbal or physical aggression. Dissociative experiences, seizurelike or fainting episodes, and suicidal gestures are prominent in some attacks but absent in others. A general feature of an ataque de nervios is a sense of being out of control. Ataques de nervios frequently occur as a direct result of a stressful event relating to the family (e.g., death of a close relative, separation or divorce from a spouse, conflict with spouse or children, or witnessing an accident involving a family member). People can experience amnesia for what occurred during the ataque de nervios, but they otherwise return rapidly to their usual level of functioning. Although descriptions of some ataques de nervios most closely fit with the DSM-IV description of panic attacks, the association of most ataques with a precipitating event and the frequent absence of the hallmark symptoms of acute fear or apprehension distinguish them from panic disorder. Ataques range from normal expressions of distress not associated with a mental disorder to symptom presentations associated with anxiety, mood dissociative, or somatoform disorders.Caribbean, Latin American, Latin Mediterranean
Dhat (jiryan in India, skra prameha in Sri Lanka, shen-k'uei in China)A folk diagnosis for severe anxiety and hypochondriacal concerns associated with the discharge of semen, whitish discoloration of the urine, weakness, and exhaustion.Asian Indian
NerviosRefers both to a general state of vulnerability to stress and to a syndrome evoked by difficult life circumstances. Nervios includes a wide range of symptoms of emotional distress, somatic disturbance, and inability to function. Common symptoms include headaches and “brain aches,” irritability, stomach disturbances, sleep difficulties, nervousness, tearfulness, inability to concentrate, trembling, tingling sensations, and mareos (dizziness with occasional vertigo-like exacerbations). Nervios tends to be an ongoing problem, although it is variable in the degree of disability manifested. Nervios is a broad syndrome that ranges from cases free of a mental disorder to presentations resembling adjustment, anxiety, depressive, dissociative, somatoform, or psychotic disorders. Differential diagnosis depends on the constellation of symptoms, the kind of social events associated with onset and progress, and the level of disability experienced.Latin American
Shenjing shuairuoA condition characterized by physical and mental fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, sleep disturbance, and memory loss. Other symptoms include gastrointestinal problems, sexual dysfunction, irritability, excitability, and autonomic nervous system disturbances.Chinese
Susto (espanto, pasmo, tripa ida, perdida del alma, or chibih)An illness attributed to a frightening event that causes the soul to leave the body and results in unhappiness and sickness. Individuals with susto also experience significant strains in key social roles. Symptoms can appear days or years after the fright is experienced. In extreme cases, susto can result in death. Typical symptoms include appetite disturbances, inadequate or excessive sleep, troubled sleep or dreams, sadness, lack of motivation, and feelings of low self-worth or dirtiness. Somatic symptoms accompanying susto include muscle aches and pains, headache, stomachache, and diarrhea. Ritual healings focus on calling the soul back to the body and cleansing the person to restore bodily and spiritual balance. Susto can be related to major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and somatoform disorders. Similar etiological beliefs and symptom configurations are found in many parts of the world.Latino American, Mexican, Central and South American
Taijin kyofushoThis syndrome refers to an individual's intense fear that his or her body, its parts, or its functions displease, embarrass, or are offensive to other people in appearance, odor, facial expressions, or movement. This syndrome is included in the official Japanese diagnostic system for mental disorders.Japanese

Source: APA 2013. Used with permission.

Views

  • Cite this Page
  • PDF version of this title (4.2M)

Recent Activity

Your browsing activity is empty.

Activity recording is turned off.

Turn recording back on

See more...