The symptoms exhibited by the patient are consistent with Koro, a culture-specific disorder observed primarily in males (and occasionally in females) in China and Thailand. For more information, please refer to Edwards JW’s article Indigenous Koro, a genital retraction syndrome of insular Southeast Asia: a critical review published in Cult Med Psychiatry in 1984.

– Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Jeff Buckley, Jimi Hendrix, and Marilyn Monroe are all celebrities who died prematurely.
– Kurt Cobain’s mother referred to them as that stupid club.
– Amy Winehouse died from alcohol consumption at age 27.
– Jeff Buckley drowned accidentally at age 30.
– Jimi Hendrix died from barbiturate-related asphyxia at age 27.
– Marilyn Monroe died from a barbiturate overdose at age 36.

The Changing Minds Campaign had a five-year run from 1998 to 2003. Its primary objective was to raise awareness and understanding of six prevalent mental health issues, namely anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementia, alcohol and drug addiction, and eating disorders. These conditions affect a significant portion of the population, with anxiety affecting over 10% of individuals, depression affecting 25%, schizophrenia affecting 1%, dementia affecting 20% of those over 80, alcohol and drug addiction affecting about one-third of people, and eating disorders affecting 1 in 50 individuals.

Susto is an anxiety disorder prevalent in South and Central America that is linked to the loss of soul. It typically occurs after experiencing a traumatic emotional of physical event.

Amok is a dissociative state that is more commonly observed in Malaysia. It is characterized by symptoms such as neurasthenia, depersonalization, rage, automatism, and violent acts.

Koro is a belief that the penis is shrinking and will retract into the abdomen, leading to death.

Latah is a condition similar to Tourette’s syndrome, where an exaggerated startle response results in abnormal behaviors.

Wendigo is a depressive disorder that involves the delusion of becoming cannibalistic. It is primarily observed in Native American communities.

Depression can be presented differently across cultures. For example, Afro-Caribbean men may report erectile dysfunction and other physical symptoms when experiencing depression. South Asians may also experience mental health problems, but are more likely to report physical symptoms rather than psychological distress. In the United Kingdom, there is a higher prevalence of schizophrenia among black immigrants. In Siberia, there is a type of jumping disease called Myriachit, which may be similar to latah, a culture-bound syndrome seen in Southeast Asia characterized by hyper-suggestibility, echolalia, echopraxia, coprolalia, disorganization, and automatic obedience. Amok is another culture-bound syndrome that typically occurs in men and involves a period of withdrawal followed by sudden outbursts of homicidal aggression. Susto is a culture-bound syndrome seen in Latin America that is attributed to severe fright causing the soul to leave the body and is characterized by anxiety, sadness, altered sleep and eating habits, and physical symptoms such as headache, stomach-ache, muscle aches, and diarrhea.

Norman Sartorius highlights the iatrogenic stigma of mental illness as the main obstacle to a better life for those suffering from mental disorders. NICE guidelines on schizophrenia also acknowledge the stigma associated with the condition, which is often seen as dangerous and best dealt with away from society. However, research has shown that the fear of violence arising from people with schizophrenia is misplaced. Other factors that may contribute to feelings of exclusion and isolation include compulsory treatment under mental health legislation, medication side effects, and less careful use of diagnostic labels.

Before the Mental Health (Discrimination) Bill was passed in 2012, MPs who were detained under the Mental Health Act for over six months would lose their seat. However, this changed with the passing of the Bill, which also addressed discrimination against mental health in regards to being a company director, school governor, and serving on a jury. It is important to note that prolonged incapacity due to physical illness has never been a hindrance to serving as an MP, and taking psychiatric medication does not disqualify someone from being an MP, although it does disqualify them from serving on a jury.

Courtesy stigma refers to the stigma that friends and family members of a person with a mental illness may experience due to their association with the affected individual. This can lead to secrecy about the diagnosis. Enacted stigma is the actual experience of discrimination, while felt stigma is the fear of discrimination that can prevent people from seeking help. Public stigma is the negative attitudes and reactions of the general population towards those with mental illness. Self-stigma is the internalized prejudice and reduced sense of self-worth that individuals with mental illness may experience. These terms were first introduced by Goffman in 1963.

In 1973, the DSM classification no longer included homosexuality as a category. However, in the seventh printing of DSM II (1974), it was briefly replaced with ‘sexual orientation disorder’ before being completely removed from the DSM III (1987).

Corrigan and Watson identified two types of stigma: public stigma and self-stigma. The individual in this example has developed low self-esteem due to agreeing with prejudicial beliefs about mental illness. Public stigma involves negative beliefs about a group, such as dangerousness of incompetence, while public prejudice involves a negative emotional reaction, such as fear. Self-stigma refers to negative self-beliefs, such as character weakness of incompetence, and self-discrimination is a behavioral response to prejudice, such as avoiding work. Hayward and Bright2 identified four recurring themes behind stigma against mental illness: dangerousness, attribution of responsibility, poor prognosis, and disruption of social interaction.

Mental Health Issues Common Among UK MPs

A 2008 survey has revealed that mental health problems are prevalent among UK Members of Parliament (MPs). The survey found that one in five MPs had personally experienced mental health issues. This is not a new phenomenon, as even Winston Churchill, a prominent political figure, suffered from depression throughout his career. Churchill described his depression as being followed around by a black dog. The survey highlights the need for greater awareness and support for mental health issues among politicians and the wider population.

Studies have consistently shown that migrant populations have higher rates of schizophrenia, particularly among certain minority ethnic groups. The NICE guidelines on schizophrenia (CG178) have highlighted the importance of investigating social and environmental factors that may increase the risk of developing the illness, such as urban birth and rearing, social adversity and trauma, heavy cannabis use, migration, and stressful life events. Schizophrenia is the most common form of psychotic disorder, with a mean incidence of 0.11 per 1000 (range 0.07-0.17 per 1000) reported in epidemiological studies. The average rates for men and women are similar, but the age of onset is typically 5 years later in women, resulting in a lower female rate during adolescence and a second smaller peak after menopause. The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia ranges from 0.4 to 1.4%, and a UK survey found a population prevalence of probable psychotic disorder of 5 per 1000 in the age group of 16 to 74 years.

To combat the negative stereotypes surrounding mental illness, it is crucial to preserve the accurate definitions of clinical terms like ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘psychosis’, while discouraging the use of derogatory slang like ‘nutters’ and ‘madness’. It is important to maintain the integrity of these clinical words in order to effectively communicate about mental health conditions. For instance, we should discourage the misuse of ‘schizophrenia’ to mean ‘split personality’ of ‘psychosis’ to mean ‘violent’. However, it is unrealistic to expect people to completely eliminate everyday phrases like ‘that’s crazy’ of ‘losing the plot’. Attempting to do so may even be counterproductive.

1. Social inclusion is a key goal of mental health policy in the UK and Europe.
2. Achieving social inclusion requires significant social change.
3. Mental health services can promote social inclusion in certain circumstances.
4. Consulting with service users and carers is one strategy to promote social inclusion in psychiatry.

FGM is against the law in the UK, and arranging for a child to undergo the procedure abroad is also illegal. Those who are caught can face a prison sentence of up to 14 years and a hefty fine. Shockingly, it is estimated that 66,000 women in the UK have already undergone FGM, and over 20,000 girls under the age of 15 are at risk. Often, children are taken to have the procedure during the summer holidays so that they have time to heal before returning to school. There are four main types of FGM, including clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation, and other harmful procedures such as pricking, piercing, cutting, scraping, and burning the genital area. FGM is carried out for cultural, religious, and social reasons and is most prevalent in Africa, although it also occurs in Asia and the Middle East. The experience can be extremely traumatic, and those who have undergone FGM may require counseling in the future. Recently, medical professionals have faced criminal prosecution for allegedly performing the procedure, which is illegal in the UK.

Schneider and Conrad identified different approaches to coping with a stigmatised illness. For some individuals, the diagnosis becomes all-consuming and they struggle to adapt. Others adopt a pragmatic approach, only disclosing their condition to those who require the information, while the secret type chooses to keep their diagnosis private. The quasi-liberated type takes a proactive stance against stigma, openly discussing their illness and working to raise awareness and understanding.

Individuals who are discreditable possess a disability that is not immediately visible of apparent to others.

The lives of several notable individuals have been impacted by mental health issues, including John Forbes Nash Jr., a gifted mathematician who battled schizophrenia and still won the Nobel Prize in economics in 1994. David Helfgott, the subject of the award-winning film ‘Shine’, was a talented pianist who also struggled with mental health. Iris Murdoch, a renowned novelist, developed Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Dr. Watson, who played a key role in discovering the molecular structure of DNA, has a son who faces mental health challenges. Additionally, Kim Peek, who inspired the film ‘Rain Man’, is another example of someone whose life was affected by mental health issues.

The concept of ‘race’ is based on physical traits and is believed to have a biological foundation, while ‘ethnicity’ is the preferred term used by researchers studying different cultures to describe groups of people who share a common identity, ancestry, and history, as well as some shared beliefs. It is important to note that a particular race, such as Caucasian, can encompass multiple ethnicities.

Koro is a syndrome that mainly affects individuals in Africa and Asia, causing them to believe that their genitals are retracting and will disappear, despite no actual physical changes. Dhat syndrome, prevalent in India, is characterized by symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, anxiety, and sexual dysfunction, with patients believing they are passing semen in their urine. Kuru is a neurological disorder, while Latah, found in Southeast Asia, is similar to Tourette’s syndrome. Piblokto, observed in Inuits, is a sudden dissociative state that results in loss of consciousness during the attack and amnesia afterwards.