Two Cases of Koro Syndrome

As a culture-bound syndrome, koro is described in the DSM-IV as “an episode of sudden and intense anxiety that the penis (or, in females, the vulva and the nipples) will recede into the body and possibly cause death.” Sometimes the syndrome may occur as an epidemic involving several hundreds to thousands of people within a short period of time. While the syndrome individually involves an anxiety reaction and fear of mortal genital retraction, it collectively takes on the form of epidemics and mass panic. Recently, a consensus has been reached about the fact that genital retraction is intimately related not only to ethno-cultural beliefs, but also to the dramatic expression of acute anxiety and fear of impending catastrophe or death. We present 2 cases of koro syndrome that experienced severe anxiety due to the feelings of genital retraction that raise questions about the cultural specificity of fears of genital retraction.