Abstract

MOTA, Patrícia Sofia Caldeira  and  SAMPAIO, Francisco Miguel Correia. Os transtornos típicos de cultura e a enfermagem transcultural: running amok. Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2011, n.6, pp.28-35. ISSN 1647-2160.

Background: Running Amok is a Culture-Bound Syndrome (CBS); its most relevant incidence and prevalence rates are identified in countries like Malaysia, as well as in other countries of Southeast Asia. However, the occurrence of similar cases has also been verified in industrial societies. Considering this evidence, it is imperative to understand Transcultural Nursing importance as an intervention strategy before CBS and, particularly, before Running Amok. Methods: The adopted methodology was literature review, having been consulted, mainly, scientific articles related to specific themes: CBS, Cultural Psychiatry and Ethnopsychiatry. Results: Running Amok can be divided into four stages: in the first stage, the patient is irritable and depressed; in the second stage, the patient is uncontrollably aggressive; in the third stage, the patient presents with homicidal behaviour; in the fourth stage, the patient experiences a partial amnesia period, if he/she survives to the previous stage. Transcultural Nursing emerged with the objective of promoting Nursing care adapted to different cultural contexts. So, nowadays, cultural competence is understood as a key element to formal caregiving. Conclusions: Considering the probable integration of some CBS, as Running Amok, in DSM-V, it is undeniable that nurses should study this kind of pathologies and acquire cultural competencies, in order to cope with this kind of situation. To do so, nurses can use, in the baseline, concepts related to Transcultural Nursing.

Keywords : Running Amok; Culture-Bound Syndrome; Cultural Psychiatry; Transcultural Nursing.

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