Susto

Susto, often called fright sickness, is a cultural illness found primarily among Latin American cultures, in Mexico, Central America and Mexican American communities in the United States. It is conceptualised as the soul leaving the body after a sudden scare, and has been described as chronic somatic suffering stemming from emotional trauma or from witnessing traumatic experiences lived by others. Researchers also describe it as a cultural concept of distress, meaning that culture shapes how people understand, express and respond to illness. It has roots in Indigenous and colonial traditions that link health to the soul and emotional balance, and among Indigenous peoples it may be conceived as a case of spirit attack. Symptoms thought to belong to it include nervousness, anorexia, insomnia, listlessness, fever, depression and diarrhea, and people report sadness, tiredness, loss of appetite and anxiety; it appears more often in communities facing stress, poverty or major life change. Treatment is often done by traditional healers called curanderos, with remedies that vary across cultures, such as calling the soul back at night in Bolivia, prayer, and rubbing the person with an egg, herbs or a guinea pig. This entry records a cultural illness concept and is not medical advice.