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Latah is a culture bound syndrome characterized by "hypersensitivity to sudden fright, often with echopraxia, echolalia, command obedience, and dissociative or trancelike behavior"..

It is also listed in the culture-bound syndrome in DSM-IV TR.

Latah

Latah is a syndrome that is defined by someone abruptly showing a change of state of consciousness with irregular levels of suggestibility. While they are experiencing this sudden episode of change, people tend to do what others tell them to do. They also tend to duplicate phrases continuously, which is defined as echolalia, duplicate the actions of others, defined as echopraxia. It can be said that they are like “copy cats” because they copy others actions. They may also show other behaviors that do not adhere to normal social behaviors. Some of these improper actions are saying words that describe sex openly, singing aloud, and being violent towards other people. This type of syndrome may only take up to a couple of minutes or may take up to hours. It all may vary on the occurrence of the cause of the attack. After the occurrence of the attack, the person does not remember any of the events that occurred during the attack and what she or he did while being under the affect of latah.

Historical backgound

When latah was first studied, people believed that Latah-like patterns could be found somewhere else around the world, in different coutries because many believed that they had heard of similiar cases occuring in other natioins; however, this was discredited and the only specific example of this syndrome was seen within the Malayasian culture. Because researchers believed that this syndrome was only found within this culture it proved that latah has its roots established in Southeast Asia. So when this syndrome was first examined, researchers started to study the Malaysian culture first to learn about some of their primary beliefs. It was important to have some knowlegde of this culture. When Robert L. Winzeler found research and did some of his own research he found out that the evidence he had reviewed earlier indicated that true latah occurs specifically in two regions: "in Southeast Asia among Malayans and to some extent among adjacent and immigrant peoples; and in an arc across northern Asia". Even though men can also experience the symptoms of latah, middle-aged Malaysian women tend to experience it more often. The specific origin of this syndrome is not known.There have been several conflicts regarding the idea that latah is a culture-bound syndrome. Robert Winzeler came into contact with some Malayans who had known of someone who had latah or them themselves had had latah, and they said that latah was a problem, but it was a problem that could not be resolved. However, people do not seek treatment whether it is medically or within their own society. It is important to know that the Westerners are the ones that have labeled latah as a culture bound syndrome. The fact that latah was first brought to the Western Hemisphere by a "non-medical colonial observer" and then put into the syndrome category restablishes the fact that the placement of latah into the culture bound syndrome category should be questioned at least to some degree. .

Startle Reflex

To understand the symptoms of latah, it is almost esstential to comprehend how the human body naturally and involuntarily response to stimuli whether the stimuli is expected or unexpected. Each individual has a startle reflex that causes him or her to repond to sudden stimuli. When the startle relex is activated, the body responds in a specific way. People usually yell or simply jump back, and the blood pressure and heart rate will raise wthin seconds. When an individual experiences latah, he or she reacts in a different way and people who see the person in the latah episode state that it appears as if he or she had entered a trance. Experiencing a sudden stimuli and responding in different way results in teh stage of latah.

Causes

There are different ways in which latah can be caused. According to one source that specifically states different causes, latah can be caused by different stimuli and sometimes with no specific stimuli at all. Sometimes individuals experience latah without having to experience a sudden shock or surprising event. However, more often people experience latah after the death of a dear one, after stressful events, or in association with a sudden stimuls that forces someone to go into latah. Sometimes people have come so apt to experiencing latah that even simple gestures such as pokes to the stomach, tickling someone, or being mildly surprised can make that individual go through the episode of latah.

Symptoms/Diagnosis

There have been several instances when someone has been frighten to a degree that that certain individual may remain in shock for a couple of seconds or may respond immediately with screaming or jumping. However people who suffer from latah have different ways of responding to it. The "etymoligcal origins of the term are not known, although it means something like 'jumpy,' 'nervous,' or 'ticklish." Latah, as previously mentioned is an episode that occurs after a certain individual experiences a sudden shock or fright and then goes into a stage where their reality is altered and they do things that they would not normally do. They are apt to copy what others do and do what others tell them to do. One important concept to undestand is that these actions are involuntary. While these individuals are in this stage they may also disobey others and the orders that are given to them.

Here is list of the syndromes of latah:

• Altered state of consciousness with abnormal levels of suggestiblity
• Repeation of words (echolalia)
• Repeation of actions of others (echopraxia)
• May do other behaviors that are not socially acceptable
• May say sexually explicit words
• May hit others

Treatment

Although latah has been labeled as a culture-bound syndrome, there is some controversies to whether it is an actual illness because there is rarely any reports of people, who experience this syndrome, who seek help or treatment. In addition to these findings, there has not been any reported traditional remedies for latah, which may hint to researchers that the Malay-Indonesian people may not even view latah as a mental illness. So maybe at the end, the Western culture may be responsible for labeling latah as a disease without it actually being considered a menal illness in the Malay-Indonesian culture. Some theorist believe that latah may be a "Malay-Indonesian idiom" where individuals exaggerated an illness so that they can find a way to avoid having to work or do other activities and for other social reasons. Latah is described as a way that lower-class people can rebel against norms that are strict witing the culture.

Latah Connected to Other Culture Phenomenons

Even though Latah has been described by Western psychiatry as a culture-bound syndrome because they believe that it occurrs only in the Malaysian and Indonesian people, there has been a major confict about if there are other cultures that experience the same syndrome but under a different name. In an article from The Psychiatric Times, it stated that there has been the same syndromes in different societies that are not related in any form either culturally or historically. In the article, there were several example of syndromes that were similiar to latah. For example, in the Ainu in Japan the syndrome is called imu and in a French-Canadian population in Maine the condition is called jumping. Therefore, it questions the fact whether latah is culturally specific. It is important to understand that although these conditions may have similiar symptoms, they are different from culture to culture.

See Also

• DSM-IV TR
• culture bound syndrome
• Ainu
• Malaysia
• koro (medicine)