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Penis panicGenital retraction syndrome (GRS), generally considered a culture-specific syndrome, is a condition in which an individual is overcome with the beliefthat his/her external genitalsor also, in females, breasts, are retracting into the body, shrinking, or in some male cases, may be imminently removedor disappear. A penis panic is a mass hysteriaevent or panicwhere males in a population suddenly exhibit symptoms of genital retraction syndrome. Penis panics have occurred around the world, most notably in Africaand Asia. Local beliefs in many instances assert that such syndromes are often fatal. Genital retraction syndrome in Southeast Asia is known as Koro (Malaysian/Indonesian) or Shook yang (suo yang) in Chinese cultures. Psychological diagnosis and treatments are under development. It is becoming increasingly clear that these forms of mass hysteriaare more common than previously thought. The phenomenon is often, but not always, associated with occultbelief, such as witchcraft. These panics frequently, but not exclusively, occur in places where access to education—particularly in science and human biology—is limited, or otherwise restricted (for example, when government policies restrict such education). Others have been reported under the influence of drug use. (Compare with castration anxiety.)
EuropeEuropean folktales are replete with examples of witches who could steal men's genitals. These penis panics appear to have ended with the Enlightenment, although significant sex panics continued to appear well into the 20th century. Southeast Asia: KoroPenis panics in southeast Asiahave become known under the term "Koro" (which means "head of the turtle" in Malay). Some anthropologists have referred to Koro as a culture-bound syndrome, but it is phenomenologically related, if not identical, to penis panics in various cultures. Koro most commonly describes the extreme fear that the penis is retracting into the body, including the idea that such retraction will bring about death. It can also refer to beliefs of "genital theft" or some kind of sorcery which has resulted in the loss of penis. Sometimes the testiclesare also believed to be affected. Koro also tends to reflect a certain xenophobia among some groups, whereby foreigners are often blamed as the ones behind the "attacks". A condition called "Bang-utot" matching the description of Koro is a repeated theme in William S. Burroughs' book Naked Lunch. It is interesting to note that although Koro goes back to ancient times, beliefs have evolved to better suit modernity. Whereas in the past the causes were usually identified as supernatural, i.e. sorcery, a recent Koro episode in Northern Thailand placed the blame on Vietnamese Communist agents who supposedly put chemicals in the water supply. Sufferers may resort to extreme physical measures to prevent the believed retraction of the penis. As well as affecting individuals, Koro-like syndromes can often occur in an outbreak of mass hysteria. Koro most commonly strikes men, but rare cases are known to involve women and the fear that either their external genitalsor nipplesare retracting into the body. Aside from the emotional distress, koro by itself is not physically harmful, and no actual retraction takes place. Injuries have occurred when stricken men have resorted to apparati such as needles, hooks, fishing line, and shoe strings, to prevent the disappearance of their penises. An epidemic struck Singaporein 1967, resulting in thousands of reported cases. Government and medical officials alleviated the outbreak only by a massive campaign to reassure men of the anatomical impossibility of retraction together with a media blackout on the spread of the condition. Koro has been successfully treated with a course of alprazolamand imipramine(which are psychiatric drugs, the former used to treat anxiety disorders). Interestingly, Koro may appear in "The Book of Acupuncture Points" by the late Dr. James Tin Yau So (Paradigm Publications 1984, p138), where "male genitals retracted into the body" is one of the indications for acupoint Zhongfeng (Liv4). SudanIn September 2003, the Middle East Media Research Institutereported an hysteria of "penis-melting robot combs" in Khartoum, capital of Sudan. Sudanese victims were made to believe by force of suggestionthat their peniseswould melt away after they shared an electronic(or "robot") comb, shook hands, or received a verbal curse. The so-called "penis-melting" has been blamed on Zioniststrying to wipe out the Sudanese people by making their men unable to reproduce. The hysterical reports were spread throughout Sudan by means of cell phonetext-messaging. Local media also contributed to the idea's spread. The Sudanese columnist Ja'far Abbas has warned visitors to avoid shaking hands with "a dark-skinned man". In reference to the electronic comb which was supposed to have caused one man's penis to disappear, Abbas writes, "No doubt, this comb was a laser-controlled surgical robot that penetrates the skull, [passes] to the lower body and emasculates a man!!" Sudanese police investigated the claims and have found no evidence of anything supernatural, and that it is likely a hoax which victims believed through the power of suggestion. Mr. Abul-Gasim Mohamed Ibrahim, Sudan's Minister of Health, issued official statements to calm the public's fears. In the Wall Street Journal's "Best of the Web Today," a daily summary of sensational or humorous news, James Taranto wrote a piece about this phenomenon entitled, "Where's the Rest of Me?" in which he coined the phrase "Penis-melting Zionist robot combs." Medical viewpointsDocumented cases have not typically indicated actual instances of penis shrinkage or retraction. Any actual injury or damage that occurs to individuals usually arises from overly zealous attempts at preventing retraction. Medical response generally consists of informing patients that the genitals anatomically cannot retract or shrink in the manner typically feared. As one academic work states, GRS seems to be similar in many ways to the Western category of panic attack, with sexual elaborations. It seems probable that, in a culture where sexual anxiety is high and stories exist of death by genital retraction, a man in the right frame of mind could panic at the observation that his genitals are shrinking in response to cold or anxiety. See also
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Categories: Sexuality and society| Culture-specific syndromes| Andrology| Penis
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