Paris Syndrome

Paris syndrome is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some individuals visiting or vacationing Paris (France). The symptoms include acute delusional states, hallucinations, feelings of persecution, derealization, depersonalization, anxiety and some psychosomatic manifestations such as dizziness, tachycardia and sweating.

This syndrome has much in common with the Jerusalem Syndrome and the Florence Syndrome.

It appears that Japanese tourists are especially susceptible and it may be linked to the popularity of Paris in Japanese culture, notably the idealized image of Paris prevalent in Japanese advertising. Some Japanese magazines create an illusion that Paris is a sexy and lush city where most people on the street look like fashion models and most women dress in high-fashion brands. Around twenty Japanese tourists a year are affected by the syndrome.

There appear to be some common triggers: the language barrier, cultural differences, the already mentioned idealized image of Paris and exhaustion. The latter is a combined effect of the long journey and the wish to experience too much of the city in to little time.