Koro
Koro is an anxiety-related syndrome centred on the conviction that one's genitals are shrinking or retracting into the body, and that this process, if it continues unchecked, will end in death. Historically associated with specific cultural settings, particularly Malay communities in Singapore, it is now recognised as occurring more widely, including in Western Europe, which has softened the older assumption that 'culture-bound' syndromes are strictly confined to a single cultural group.
Built from
Illustration
A man presents to an emergency department in acute distress, gripping himself firmly and insisting that his genitals are visibly retracting into his abdomen and that he will die if this is allowed to continue, a conviction that persists despite calm reassurance and a normal physical examination.
References
- Casey, P. & Kelly, B. (2019). Fish's Clinical Psychopathology, 4th ed. Appendix I, 'Psychiatric Syndromes'.