Why India has a bad case of Dhat syndrome

If sex is a hush-hush, behind-the-doors affair in India, sexual dysfunction is even more so. This can take a toll on the mental and physical health of patients. Case in point: Dhat syndrome. Dhat syndrome, or semen loss anxiety, is a “culture-bound” condition that can cause physical and psychological distress. Patients with Dhat syndrome report weakness and fatigue after “loss of semen” due to nocturnal emissions, masturbation and premature ejaculation. [caption id=“attachment_7268941” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representative image. Image by Ashish Kushwaha from Pixabay[/caption] Indian psychiatrist Dr Narendra Nath Wig first coined the term in the 1960s. It draws on the Sanskrit word dhatus, or bodily fluids in Ayurveda. Along with erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, Dhat syndrome is among the most common sexual disorders in India. Geography of Dhat syndrome Categorised as a “culture-bound syndrome”, research shows that Dhat syndrome is most common among young Indian men who are recently married, and who come from families with conservative attitudes towards sex. In “Culture-bound syndromes: the story of dhat syndrome”, published on March 2004 in the British Journal of Psychiatry, writers A. Sumathipala, S.H. Siribaddana and Dinesh Bhugra explained: “Culture-bound syndrome is a term used to describe the uniqueness of some syndromes in specific cultures. Dhat (semen-loss anxiety) has been considered to be an exotic ‘neurosis of the Orient’.” Though mostly seen in the Indian subcontinent, researchers say that cases have also been reported from “Central Asia, China, Russia, America, and Europe” in societies where there is repression around sex. Common symptoms Patients report premature ejaculation, impotence and passing semen in urine as their chief symptoms. Fatigue, listlessness, loss of appetite, weakness, poor concentration, forgetfulness, guilt and sexual dysfunction are some other symptoms of Dhat syndrome. Interestingly, women also complain of Dhat syndrome - not much is written about this in the medical literature, though. Myths versus facts According to Hindu mythology, semen or virya is the most vital fluid in the human body. Ayurveda says that 40 meals make a drop of blood and 40 drops of blood make a drop of bone marrow and 40 drops of bone marrow make a drop of semen. The loss of even a drop of semen is therefore seen as a huge loss in the Ayurvedic system. Myths and sexual illiteracy, however, continue to perpetuate these beliefs, though they have no basis in modern medicine. The result: anxiety, depression and various psychosomatic disorders. In November 1991, Delhi-based researchers M.S. Bhatia and S.C. Malik found that patients with psychosexual disorders, including Dhat syndrome, had a high incidence of neurotic depression (39%) and anxiety neurosis (21%). Bhatia and Malik published their research in the British Journal of Psychiatry, in an article titled “Dhat syndrome - a useful diagnostic entity in Indian culture”. Causes and treatment: A study with men aged 18-60 in Haryana found that 81% of the participants suffered from at least one sexual disorder. The study, published in The Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, added that rural Indian men reported more sexual disorders. Till now, medical science has found no physical cause of Dhat syndrome. Still, misconceptions around normal sexual functions persist and affect the mind as well as the body. Cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling, as well as anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication, can help these patients. Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. To know more on this topic, please visit https://www.myupchar.com/en/disease/spermatorrhea