Grisi siknis: symptoms and causes of this cultural syndrome

Cultural or culture-linked syndromes are disorders that have been uniquely identified in a particular society. Some of the best known cultural syndromes are Koro, which occurs in Southeast Asia, and Amok, typical of Indonesia and the Pacific.

In this article we will talk about the causes and symptoms of grisi siknis, a syndrome linked to culture that occurs among the Miskitos, natives of Honduras and Nicaragua. We will also describe some similar disorders that occur in other cultures.

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What is grisi siknis?

The grisi siknis is a cultural syndrome specific to Miskito society, an ethnic group from Central America. The name is probably derived from the English words "crazy sickness"; in such a case it could be translated as “madness disease”. It is also known as “grisi munaia”, “Nil siknis” and “Chipil siknis”. This disorder was described by Philip A. Dennis in 1981.

It occurs mainly in adolescent women between the ages of 15 and 18

. Although Western psychology and psychiatry have attributed the appearance of grisi siknis episodes to discomfort and stress emotional, the traditional explanations of the Miskitos affirm that it is an experience of possession by spirits or witches malignant

This esoteric story about the nature of the syndrome is fueled by the fact that the medicine and other western treatments do not seem effective in resolving the symptoms of grisi siknis. In contrast, the herbal and traditional remedies of the Miskito healers are effective in dealing with the symptoms, perhaps by suggestion and Placebo effect.

One of the most peculiar characteristics of the grisi siknis it is their contagious nature, which causes epidemics to occur. For example, in March 2009, outbreaks of grisi siknis were described that affected many young people in the municipalities of Puerto Cabezas and Siuna, in Nicaragua. These epidemics occurred shortly after Hurricane Felix, which wreaked havoc on the coast of Honduras and Nicaragua.

Symptoms of this disorder

Episodes of grisi siknis are preceded by physical and psychological symptoms such as anxiety, anger, irrational fear, headache, dizziness and nausea.

The onset of the attack coincides with the loss of consciousness that causes the person to fall to the ground. She then begins to run, plunged into a state of dissociation and lack of control of behavior.

During the grisi siknis crisis, it is common for the affected people to carry out aggressive behaviors against themselves or against invisible aggressors product of hallucinationyes; Those who have suffered episodes affirm that they see spirits or demons that come looking for them, sometimes to rape them or have sex with them.

There is a great power of suggestion in this syndrome, partly because of the atmosphere of esotericism that is generated in the crises and that is reminiscent of the classic cases of Folie à Deux. It is also common for people affected by grisi siknis to say the name of the next ones who will presumably suffer from it, although they are not necessarily correct. There are Miskito stories that narrate supernatural events that occurred during episodes of this syndrome, such as victims speaking in unknown languages ​​or vomiting hair, spiders, or coins.

The gray siknis can last several months, even a year, if left untreated. During this period, recurrent episodes usually occur with symptoms such as those described in the previous paragraphs.

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Causes and explanations

According to the DSM-IV-TR manual, the grisi siknis is a psychological disorder that occurs because of stress, emotional upheaval, and despair; in this sense, this syndrome has been related to dissociative fugue, as is the case with amok syndrome, another well-known cultural disorder. However, grisi siknis has been little studied and therefore its causes are not entirely clear.

The Miskitos attribute the grisi siknis to a destabilization in the world of spirits, caused by the appearance of epidemic outbreaks or the action of dark sorcerers. These factors would lead to the possession of young girls by ghosts.

As we have seen, a possible explanation for the peculiar fact that grisi siknis is contagious is suggestion; thus, the appearance of this syndrome in several people at the same time could be influenced by contact with other cases of grisi siknis. Seen in this way, the syndrome would bear certain similarities with the shared psychotic disorder, better known as Folie à Deux.

Similar cultural syndromes

Symptoms of anxiety, physical discomfort, and loss of control are very common in a large number of disorders, including those that are specific to certain cultures. As with grisi siknis, in many cases these syndromes have traditionally been attributed to spirit possession.

1. Amok or kill elap

Disorder detected in Malaysian males characterized by the appearance of a dissociative episode during which aggressive behaviors occur. It is related to psychosis. After the amok attack the person does not remember what happened.

There are other cultural syndromes with symptoms very similar to those of amok and grisi siknis in different cultures, such as cafard, the berserk, the fighting evil and the iich'aa, identified in Polynesia, Scandinavia, Puerto Rico and the Navajo Indians, respectively.

2. Pibloktoq or arctic hysteria

Pibloktoq is produced among the Inuit of Greenland. It usually consists of a dissociative episode of about 30 minutes that occurs after a period of agitation, irritability or low mood. The person behaves aggressively and uninhibited, being able, for example, to take off all their clothes, shout obscene words or eat feces.

3. windigo or witiko

The windigo is a mythological being from North America to which human and bestial characteristics are attributed. As a disorder, the windigo is related to delusional experiences of possession that present with a compulsive desire to eat human flesh. Currently the existence of this cultural syndrome is highly questioned as such.

4. Nervous attack

This name is given to episodes of loss of control with screaming, crying, shaking, and aggression that occur in some Latin American and Mediterranean cultures. It differs from panic attacks in that the symptoms occur spontaneously, without a trigger and without feelings of fear.

5. delirious bouffée

La bouffée délirante (French for “delusional breath”) It's a type of psychotic break characterized by psychomotor agitation, violence, confusion, and visual or auditory hallucinations. It is typical of Haiti and West Africa.

6. Czar

Dissociative episodes with uncontrolled screaming, crying, laughing, and singing, as well as self-harm, attributed to spirit possession experiences. In African countries where it has been identified, such as Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and Somalia, It is not considered a pathology.

7. sickness of the spirits

In some Native American societies, a syndrome consisting of an intense preoccupation with death and people has been described. deceased, along with various physical and psychological symptoms: anxiety, weakness, loss of appetite, dizziness, confusion, nightmares, hallucinations etc

8. Hsieh-ping

The hsieh-ping, a cultural syndrome detected in Taiwan, is defined as a brief trance state during which the person believes that they are possessed by ancestral spirits trying to communicate with relatives. His symptoms include disorientation and hallucinations.

9. Craziness

According to the DSM-IV psychiatric manual, the term "insanity" It is used in Latin America to refer to a type of chronic psychosis which include symptoms such as interpersonal difficulties, agitation, hallucinations, incoherence, impulsiveness and aggressiveness.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association. Task Force on DSM-IV. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition Text Revision. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

• Barrett, B. (1997). Herbs and healing on Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast. American Botanical Council, 41: 35–48.

• Dennis, P. TO. (1981). Part Three: Grisi Siknis Among the Miskito. Medical Anthropology, 5(4): 445–505.