ABSTRACT
At the other extreme are the culture-bound syndromes (CBSs). For example, koro is a syndrome that involves the fear that the penis will shrink into the abdomen and the person will die. From a clinical perspective, it could be considered an anxiety, or possibly a depersonalization disorder (Jilek, 1986; Tseng et al., 1992). Koro occurs only within certain cultural groups, sometimes in epidemic fashion affecting hundreds or even thousands of individuals. In other cultures, the condition is considered laughable and, thus, unimaginable.
