Folk Illnesses of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean

A folk illness is an illness that is brought about by cultural conventions rather than by physiological factors. The illnesses often have religious or physiological overtones. Folk illnesses were very prominent in Latin America and the Caribbean and there are around ten known illnesses. The most prominent of these were Susto, Mal de Ojo, and Nervios.

Susto can be literally translated into English as “fright”. The symptoms of this illness include: loss of appetite, listlessness, lack of interest or motivation in daily activities, apathy, nausea, diarrhea, irritability, weakness, and withdrawal. This illness can affect any age or gender. It can be induced by any form of anxiety that can be brought by emotional pain, such as violent encounter, potential argument, or an unhappy event. A more severe form of susto is espanto, meaning “terror” or “intense fright”. This extreme case of Susto can often times lead to death and is brought on traumatic situations, which are attributed to “soul loss” in the indigenous populations.

A second prominent folk illness to the indigenous peoples was Mal de Ojo, which is translated to mean “evil eye”. Symptoms of this illness are very similar to those of Susto but can also include high fever and constant crying in children. Mal de Ojo transpires due to extreme envy or jealously, which may be deliberate or unintentional. Those who are of good health are higher risk of contracting this illness. It is thought that by shielding children or others of lower class from the gaze of jealousy, will ensure their protection against the illness.

The final folk illness that was most prominent to the indigenous peoples was Nervios, translated to mean “the attack of the nerves”. This illness is identified with such symptoms as: heightened sense of irritability, shakiness, dizziness, occasional fainting or loss of consciousness, crying, trembling and bouts of violence. These symptoms in addition to the loss of emotional and bodily control are what separate this illness from the several others. Nervios is brought about when people are unable to handle the stresses of daily life. Along with the challenges of everyday stress come about the emotional side effects of nervios, which include: depression, screaming, and anger. Characteristically the indigenous people who suffer with this illness the most frequently are those of lower class and disenfranchised members of society. Women are more susceptible to this illness and are in turn more likely to die as a result of this disease. People who contract this disease have social tensions, disruptions in family support systems, and other social pressures that affect their daily life.

http://www.popline.org/docs/0383/681401.html

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Sources:

Sanabria, Harry. The Anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbean . Boston, MA: Pearson: Allyn
and Bacon, 2007. 

http://altmed.creighton.edu/MexicanFolk/Susto.htm

http://altmed.creighton.edu/MexicanFolk/mal_de_ojo.htm

http://www.springerlink.com/content/13u675x554482212/?p=f3d12b5f51954420a9d5bbe3beebc0dc&pi=4