Sexual offences and forensic psychiatry: Koro: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Sexual offences and forensic psychiatry: Koro

Sample item

A young man is brought by relatives in panic, convinced that his penis is shrinking into his abdomen and that he will die when it disappears. Which culture-bound syndrome is this?

AKoroBLatahCAmokDDhat syndrome

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Koro

Koro is a culture-bound syndrome of acute anxiety with the fear that the genitals are retracting into the body and will cause death, seen in South-East Asia and parts of India. Dhat syndrome is anxiety about loss of semen.

Option by option

A. Koro (correct)
Correct. Fear of genital retraction with fatal outcome is Koro.
B. Latah
Latah is exaggerated startle with echolalia and echopraxia.
C. Amok
Amok is sudden indiscriminate violence after brooding.
D. Dhat syndrome
Dhat syndrome is anxiety and weakness attributed to loss of semen.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is A, Koro. Koro is a culture-bound syndrome of acute anxiety with the fear that the genitals are retracting into the body and will cause death, seen in South-East Asia and parts of India.

Why is "Latah" not the answer?

Latah is exaggerated startle with echolalia and echopraxia.

Why is "Amok" not the answer?

Amok is sudden indiscriminate violence after brooding.

Why is "Dhat syndrome" not the answer?

Dhat syndrome is anxiety and weakness attributed to loss of semen.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Sexual offences and forensic psychiatry: Koro in Forensic Medicine. Dhat syndrome is anxiety about loss of semen.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Sexual offences and forensic psychiatry: Koro?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.