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Brain fag is an example of a culture bound syndrome. Brain fag is " A term used in West Africa to refer to a condition experienced by high school and university students in response to the challenges of schooling. Symptoms include difficulties in concentrating, remembering, and thinking. Students often state that their brains are 'fatigued.' Additional somatic symptoms are usually centered around the head and neck and include pain, pressure or tightness, blurring of vision, heat, or burning. 'Brain tiredness' or fatigue from 'too much thinking' is an idiom of distress in many cultures, and resulting syndromes can resemble certain Anxiety, Depressive, and Somatoform Disorders."American Psychiatric Association

Brain Fag

 * Compare: Brain fog

"The term "brain fag" has been used in the United States in the past to describe an overtaxed mind, especially among the elderly. However, usage declined to non-existent by the 1950s.  It began in its current form in Africa in the 1960s.  We still refer to having a foggy mind when we feel confused, have difficulty remembering and concentrating." 

Students in West Africa believed that these symptoms resulted from the brain being tired and this gave rise to the term brain fag. Brain fag is a sydrome that is mainly found among college students in West Africa.They may find it hard to focus on the task at hand,feel sluggish, and even experience issues with their eyes. These symptoms are believed to be caused by continuous studying of school material with little rest.

Causes
The main causes are usually found among school aged boys and college students who are overworked from long bouts of studying. The worse cases of brain-fag involve fatigue from study, worry, or being sexually active. 

Brain-fag can be brought on by excess worry, excitement, and lack of sleep. Other causes can be alcohol abuse and sexual excess, along with drug abuse. Such drugs as cocaine, tobacco, tea and coffee (caffeine) can bring on this condition.

Symptoms
Have you ever done so much studying that you felt that your brain had become tired and that you could not cope with any more studying? Stress from studying can cause various symptoms of brain-fag. Some of these may be:


 * Impaired ability to concentrate
 * Impaired information retention
 * dizziness
 * weakness
 * blurred vision
 * headache
 * Pain
 * Irritability
 * Agitation
 * Nervousness
 * Breathing problems
 * Weight loss
 * Sleep problems
 * Excessive sweating
 * Tremor
 * Sensation disorders
 * Blurred vision
 * Tinnitus (ringing of ears)

Treatments
The patient or inflicted person should seek out a relaxation program amd attend group therapy at the same time. Reports have shown that these two programs are effective together in curing brain-fag, since this syndrome is considered an anxiety disorder.

Other treatments may include:
 * Phosophorus- This is the most important remedy. A low dose of phosphorous can be taken two to three times a day with food. Reason for this is the brain may be deprived of phosphorous.


 * Nux vomica- This remedy is required when the patient shows the following symptoms: headache, constipation, unrestful sleep (tossing and turning), and irritability.


 * Phospheric acid- This is given when there is cold sweat, night sweat, hair loss, and exhaustion from exerrting ones self.


 * Ignata- This is when the patient shows different emotions such as: happiness, sadness, cries easily or for no reason, is afraid, or can not sleep.


 * Alternative treatments- Change how one works,do not work as hard, and get more sleep. A cold bath or shower in the morning, being around friends, and eatin a large diet of different fish or seafood.

Rest and good habits, such as no excess of alcohol, drugs, and sex, along with plenty of sleep will help in the cure.

Origins

 * The origin of brain fag varies among studies. According to Drs. Obuya and Ayonrinde's research, they have decided that brain-fag was founded in the 19th century as a British culture-bound syndrome.


 * According to Raymond Prince, he was the first to identify this syndrome. In 1960, he described the syndrome as a culture-bound syndrome that is found in West Africa. It has also been forund across sub-Saharan Africa from Nigeria to Uganda and South Africa.


 * The word fag in brain fag is short for fatigue. It is primarily experienced by students in Nigeria and other parts of Afirca. It is brought on by stress from "Western-style book learning." Origin: West Africa

Studies of Brain Fag Syndrome
The following case study compares Brain Fag Syndorme with non-Brain Fag syndrome cases on the socio-demographic characteristics.Table is inserted below to view results. Both cases showed a slightly higher predominance among the female gender.Also the two groups were similar in age distribution. The differences between the two groups were not statistically significant. 

Table 1. Comparison of Socio-demographic characteristics of Brain-Fag Syndorme cases and non-Brain-Fag Syndrome cases can be accessed through the following link: 

The following study was done among apprentices in Nigeria. According to this study the syndrome was first reported in West Africa in 1960 among male students. 

Diagnosed Cases

 * A 27-year-old male, who was a third-year student at an Eastern Cape university experienced the following symptoms: dizzieness, headache, problems concentrating, hands shaking, etc. He also was diagnosed with symptoms of depression, and a few years earlier attempted suicide. According to DSM standards, "he could have been diagnosed as having generalised anxiety disorder, depressive disorder or somatoform diorder." Because of the eatering eyes, blurred vision, sensation of crawling over body, and headaches,(all symptoms of brain fag), he was diagnosed as having brain fag.


 * A 22-year-old single African male who was complaining of tiredness in his brain for the past six months, could not take an important examination. He felt the print was constricting his pupils which in turn caused his brain to become tired. There were several othe factors to this case such as, his childhood and the belief that other sutdents were casting spells on him. His early symptoms did show signs of brain fag.