Falling-out
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Falling-out is a culture-bound syndrome common in the southern United States and the Caribbean. It is a dissociative reaction that is associated with constricted consciousness and designed to cope with anxiety. The most common descriptions note a sudden collapse or fainting spell that may be preceded by dizziness or "swimming in the head." [1] After collapsing, sufferers also report being unable to see,[2] even if their eyes are open, despite being able to hear what is happening in their surroundings.[3] This diagnosis corresponds with the Conversion Disorder or a Dissociative Disorder. Falling out is not treated as an illness unless it becomes disabling. It is often seen as a normal response to stressful situations, funerals, or when a person receives shocking information. [4]
Falling-out as a conversion disorder
Conversion disorder is where you show the signs of mental distress in a physical way. Such ways include poor coordination or balance, paralysis in an arm or leg, difficulty swallowing or "a lump in the throat", inability to speak, vision problems, including double vision and blindness, deafness, and seizures or convulsions. Many of these symptoms are also associated with falling-out. Just as episodes of falling-out, episodes of conversion disorder are nearly always triggered by a stressful event, an emotional conflict or another mental health disorder, such as depression. The exact cause of conversion disorder is unknown, but the part of the brain that controls your muscles and senses may be involved, explaining why symptoms involve the loss of use of muscles and control of senses. It may be the brain's way of coping with something that seems like a threat. Also similar to falling-out, symptoms of conversion disorder are likely to dissipate with time or once the person is calmed down and feels reassured. [5]
Diagnosing conversion disorder or falling out is very tricky because the symptoms often mimic symptoms from biological diseases such as myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, stroke, lupus, spinal cord injury, and HIV/AIDS. Often falling-out is not diagnosed because it is not considered an illness and is treated more like a natural response to stress.[6]
See also
References
- ^ http://books.google.com/books/reader?id=_hcurFqnQioC&as_brr=3&as_pt=BOOKS&hl=en&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_api#v=onepage&q&f=false
- ^ http://homepage.mac.com/mccajor/cbs_cul.html
- ^ http://rjg42.tripod.com/culturebound_syndromes.htm
- ^ http://quizlet.com/2278127/spring-psych-4-flash-cards/
- ^ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/conversion-disorder/DS00877/METHOD=print
- ^ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/conversion-disorder/DS00877/METHOD=print
- Outline for Cultural Formulation and Glossary of Culture-Bound Syndromes[clarification needed]
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