09-20-2012, 06:18 PM
I first heard of Koro as a culture-bound disorder in my Abnormal psych class in college. I just dug out my old text book, one of my few keepers, and it identifies it as being mostly in the Malay Archipelago. Note that I took the class in the early 80s and this is based on research from the last 60s and early 70s. Here's the blurb:
Quote:A fear reaction or anxiety state in which the person fears that his penis will withdraw into his abdomen and he will die. This reaction may appear after sexual overindulgence or excessive masturbation. The anxiety is typically very intense and of sudden onset. The condition is "treated" by having the penis held firmly by the patient or by family members or friends. Often the penis is clamped in a wooden box.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse