User:NessaPrincessa/Locura

Locura

Symptoms

Symptoms of locura are very similar to schizophrenia, which includes auditory and visual hallucinations, possible violence, incoherence, unpredictability,and agitation. Locura is primarily found in Latinos. People with locura have an inability to follow social rules of interaction. This form of chronic psychosis is considered to be severe, and is exhibited as having multiple difficulties in life and/or vulnerability (DSM-IV TR: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision).

Popular Diagnosis

According to the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders (http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Schizophreniform-disorder.html), locura is a culturally defined ("culture-bound") disorder that meets the criteria for schizophreniform disorder. Agitation, incoherence, erratic behavior, hallucinations and social disfunction are the characteristics of locura.

What is Schizophreniform Disorder?

The Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders defines schizophreniform disorder as a "time-limited illness wherein the sufferer has experienced at least two major symptoms of psychosis for longer than one month but fewer than six months. Hallucinations, delusions, and strange bodily movements or lack of movements (catatonic behavior) are all symptoms that may be observed. Additionally, minimal or peculiar speech, lack of drive to act on one's own behalf, bizarre behavior, a wooden quality to one's emotions or near-absent emotionality are all typical symptoms that may occur in SFD."

Culture-Bound Syndrome

The DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision) written by the American Psychiatric Association defines culture-bound syndrome as a term that "denotes recurrent, locality-specific patterns of aberrant behavior and troubling experience that may or may not be linked to a particular DSM-IV diagnostic category. Many of these patterns are indigenously considered to be "illnesses," or at least afflictions, and most have local names. Although presentations conforming to the major DSM-IV categories can be found throughout the world, the particular symptoms, course, and social response are very often influenced by local cultural factors. In contrast culture-bound syndromes are generally limited to specific societies or culture areas and are localized, folk, diagnostic categories that frame coherent meanings for certain repetitive, patterned, and troubling sets of experiences and observations."

Seldomly, a culture-bound syndrome will be exactly equivalent to a syndrome in the DSM. There are some conditions and disorders that are in the DSM-IV that are rare unindustrialized countries, such as Dissociative Identity Disorder and Anorexia Nervosa. Also, there are many subcultures within a single culture that may suffer from culture-bound syndromes.

Origin of the Root

According to Pandora Word Box, "Craze in Spanish is LOCura and being LOCO means to be mentally disLOCAted. Similar to the story of Medea, Princess Juana "La Loca" also had a "craze", in her case, for Philip "the beautiful". When Philip became unfaithful, her "amor LOCo" disLOCAted Juana's mind. This true historic event was a great tragedy for her parents, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel of Spain." (http://www.consultsos.com/pandora/intr0910.htm)

Reference

(http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Schizophreniform-disorder.html