Abstract

Introduction

Dhat syndrome is a culture-bound syndrome seen in the natives of Indian subcontinent. The word "Dhat" derives from the Sanskrit language word dhatu, meaning "metal," "elixir" or "constituent part of the body" which is considered to be "the most concentrated, perfect and powerful bodily substance, and its preservation guarantees health and longevity"⁽¹⁾. Myth prevalent among people of the Indian subcontinent is that “it takes 40 days for 40 drops of food to be converted to one drop of blood, 40 drops of blood to make one drop of bone marrow and 40 drops of bone marrow form one drop of semen⁽²⁾. Prof. N. N. Wig⁽³⁾ coined the term "Dhat syndrome," characterized by vague somatic symptoms of fatigue, weakness, anxiety, loss of appetite and guilt attributed to semen loss through nocturnal emissions, urine and masturbation though there is no evidence of loss of semen. This notion of seminal loss frightens the individual into developing a sense of doom even when a single drop of semen is lost, thereby producing a series of somatic symptoms⁽⁴⁾. From a clinical perspective, the symptoms in dhat syndrome may cluster to give a spectrum of diagnostic possibilities ranging from anxiety to somatoform disorders, affective disorders and, rarely, psychosexual delusional disorder.

Aims and Objectives

To assess various psychiatric comorbidities in patients of Dhat syndrome.