- Latah
Latah is a condition of hyperstartling found in southeast Asia that is commonly considered a
culture-specific syndrome . It is also the name for those with the condition, which is found mainly in adult women. The afflicted have a severe reaction to being surprised in which they lose control of their behavior, mimic the speech and actions of those around them and sometimes throws out gibberish and cus words. Latahs are generally not considered responsible for their actions during these episodes.Similar conditions have been recorded within other cultures and locations, such as French-Canadian lumberjacks in
Maine (Jumping Frenchmen of Maine ), the Ainu ofJapan ("imu"),Siberia ("miryachit "), andYemen (also "latah"); however, the connection between these syndromes has been controversial.cite book |last=Winzeler |first= Robert L. |title=Latah in Southeast Asia: The History and Ethnography of a Culture-bound Syndrome |origyear=1995 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cx6lttzLAGMC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r |format= |accessdate=2008-02-26 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=0521440777 |pages=33-51]Latahs are a recurring theme in
William S. Burroughs ' writings.ee also
*
Hyperekplexia References
External links
* [http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p011163.html Introduction to Culture-Bound Syndromes] , by
Ronald C. Simons ,Psychiatric Times , November 2001, Vol. XVIII, Issue 11
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_n6_v19/ai_17782626 Skeptical Inquirer - Culture-bound syndromes as fakery]
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