The Windigo Psychosis

Some mental illnesses are uniquely connected to culture. Through a combination   of psychiatric and somatic (nervous system) symptoms, they are considered to be a recognizable disease only within a specific society, and are known medically and anthropologically as ‘culture bound” or “culture specific” syndromes. There tend to be true biochemical or structural alterations of any body organs or their functions, and these diseases are not widely recognized in other cultures. One example of these “culture bound” syndromes is the Windigo Psychosis – linked to Native American culture, even more specifically to the Northern tribes, such as the Chippewa, Ojibwa, Cree and Inuit.

This psychosis usually developed in the winter months when families were isolated by heavy snow and had inadequate food supplies.  The initial symptoms (thought to be psychosomatic) of the Windigo Psychosis were depression, distaste for most ordinary foods and a subsequent poor appetite, nausea, and vomiting, followed by periods of semi-stupor. Gradually, the victim becomes obsessed with paranoid ideas of being bewitched and is subject to homicidal and sometimes suicidal thoughts. He feels that he has been possessed by the Windigo spirit or monster and it is controlling him, it is this delusion that gives the psychosis its name. An affected person may see the people around him or her turning into beavers or other edible animals, leading the victim to become violent, homicidal, and cannibalistic. It is commonly thought that once this stage is reached and the victim has tasted human flesh, he or she must be killed.

Full Article: https://chrishibbard.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/the-windigo-psychosis/

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