Wacinko Syndrome

The Wacinko Syndrome is a so-called culture specific syndrome. The Wacinko Syndrome is only found in the American Indians, specifically in the Oglala Sioux, which has a total population of about 13,000. It can be translated as pouting.

The term refers to an excessive response to interpersonal problems and disappointment. The symptoms[1] range from rom a nonclinical reaction to pathological degrees of anger, pouting, withdrawal, depression, psychomotor retardation, mutism, immobility, and even to suicide.
The indigenous practitioners recognized the syndrome as a distinctive disorder. Non-Indian practitioners may not recognize it at all, even though the symptoms themselves are not culture bound. Most cases will be diagnosed as reactive depressive illness.

[1] Lewis: A syndrome of depression and mutism in the Oglala Sioux in American Journal of Psychiatry - 1975

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