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Koro
Koro is a culture-bound syndrome that involves the belief that one's genitals are retracting into one's body and that death will occur if fully retracted. Moderate to severe injury occurs from trying to stop the person's genitals from receding. Koro usually occurs in Malaysian cultures but has been known to occur in many others. Another form of koro is known as penis snatching which is the belief that a person has stolen somone's genitals, usually by using some form of magic. The theif will then hold the penis or womb for ransom or use it to make potions.

Cases
There are several different cases of Koro throughout history. Most of them fall into the categories of mass hysteria or one person's delusion. The following is an example of mass hysteria:

"Our reviewbeginswith events that we personally witnessed: an outbreak of genitalshrinking episodes in several locations in Ghana.2 News reports suggested that the outbreak began in Nigeria or Cameroon in late 1996. It arrived in Ghana during January, 1997, moved to Cote D’Ivoire, and eventually reached Senegal in August. Content analyses of reports in Ghanaian newspapers revealed a total of 40 separate cases in both coastal locations (e.g., Accra, Cape Coast, Takoradi, and Tema) and inland locations (e.g., Ahenkro, Anyinasou, Asamankama-Sakam, Kokpti, Kumasi, Obuasi, Offinso, Samproso, Sunyani, and Tetrem). However, this is likely to be a gross underestimate of the actual number of cases. For instance, media reports did not include two cases in Tamale and two in a suburb of Accra that occurred while the authors were conducting research in those locations. Furthermore, most cases that received media coverage involved mob violence. It is possible that many more cases occurred but did not result in mob violence and therefore did not receive media coverage. Finally, reports of the phenomenon stopped abruptly once authorities began arresting people for making accusations of genital shrinking. Responses of interview participants suggest that some people may have experienced symptoms, but chose not to report to authorities (Adams and Dzokoto, 2002)."

This quote is an example of one person's own delusion:

"A 30-year-old unmarried, male, clerk presented with the persistent fear that his penis was shrinking gradually for last 12 years. He stated that due to the shrinkage he remained weak, anxious and sleepless. He continuously brooded over it. He got panicky whenever he saw his penis, as he felt that it is shrinking back, and remained perturbed for days together after that. Due to this he consciously avoided to see or contact his penis, even in bathroom. He explained that it was due to his nocturnal emissions and a couple of masturbatory acts in middle adolescence. He was extremely religious and attended religious institutions (like that of Satsang and Brahmakumaris). He considered penis as sacred and its gradual shrinkage as an omen of his ultimate destruction and death. He believed that this was due to sinful (anti-religious) incidences of nocturnal emission and masturbatory acts. He had decided not to marry in order to avoid any possible retraction. He remained preoccupied with these thoughts, avoided company, and interaction with females. He requested for medicines that would stop further retraction."

While koro is considered a culture-bound syndrome, there are cases of it occuring in America as well. In a study of cannabis-induced koro, three American college students believed to have experienced koro-like symptoms. The students heard about koro in psychology classes or from friends, smoked marijuana, and then believed that their genitals were shrinking. None of the subjects injured themselves and only experienced the symptoms for a few hours.

Causes
The main cause of koro is one person's delusion turning into mass hysteria. Someone will hear about koro or penis snatching, believe it has occured to them, tell others, and if those people panic then they will believe that it is happenening to them as well. The cannabis-induced koro is a perfect example of this. They heard about the disorder and it possibly being linked to marijuana and then experienced the disorder themselves. Other causes could be linked to cultural norms and superstitious beliefs within that culture.

Treatment
Koro is a a sociological disorder so there is no real medical treatment for the disorder. It usually only lasts for a few hours and is related to panic attacks but others may experience the symptoms for years. Perhaps with placebos and therapy these individuals could be cured of their disorder. Some cultures practice instant justice in which a group of people will beat a person accused of penis snatching in order to release the offenders hold on the genitals and return them to the owner.

Reference List
WHAT KIND OF TREATMENT IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS SYNDROME?