Pibloktoq
Also known as Arctic Hysteria, pibloktoq is a dissociative-like condition that almost exclusively affects people in the circumpolar region. It is a common occurrence, most prevalent during the harsh winter months, and thus is not seen as a 'disorder' to natives and carries virtually no stigma. Described as a 'hysteria', attacks of pibloktoq are characterized by a sudden onset of seizures, incoherent shouting, or tearing of the clothes, lasting anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, followed by a period of rest and/or a coma lasting up to 12 hours and amnesia of the attack. [1] [2] Although the disorder is known as both Arctic Hysteria and pibloktoq, the natives of the area refer to it as pibloktoq.
History
Explorers were the first to notice pibloktoq. Among these, Admiral Robert E. Peary provided a detailed look into the disorder during an expedition to Greenland. The acts Peary and his men witnessed among the Inuit women provided entertainment, and, having sent the women's male counterparts out on missions, Peary's men reaped the sexual benefits of being the only males present. [3] Pibloktoq is not limited to the indigenous people; reports of stranded sailors during the 1800's exhibiting the same symptoms have been found. The disorder is said to have existed before Western contact and still occurs today.
Origin
Pibloktoq can be found anywhere among the Arctic Circle, but it is believed to be seen mainly in Northern Greenland, which is made up of mostly Polar Eskimos. Eskimos in general are frequently diagnosed with pibloktoq, especially native Eskimos. Although pibloktoq is said to occur mostly among women, a few reports of the condition among men and dogs have been found, with no reports among children. Stemming from the actions of Peary and his men, the belief that females usually fall victim to pibloktoq because of jealousy, neglect, or abuse from their partner and their desparate need for affection were popular for some time. Researchers since have studied pibloktoq and attribute it to a calcium-deficiency or toxic levels of vitamin A. [4]
Symptoms
There are various symptoms of pibloktoq. An affected person may or may not exhibit the same symptoms as others, although the sudden onset is universal for most all reported cases. Those symptoms include: cursing, consuming fecal matter, psychotic behavior, mumbling, screaming, tearing off of one's clothes and running nude through the ice and snow, and seizures. Impulses to perform tasks that are not part of the person's regular routine, such as jumping from the roof of their home or scaling an icy mountain, have also been reported. Other symptoms are bloodshot eyes, uncontrollable shaking, and high fever. [5] Persons with pibloktoq will often seclude themselves or become increasingly irritable just before an attack. After the episode has ended the person will sleep for a prolonged period.
Cultural View of Disorder
Eskimos do not consider pibloktoq to be dangerous or even abnormal. Bystanders rarely intervene unless it is apparent that the affected is capable of hurting themselves or others. Although Western culture considers this disorder as extreme, native Eskimos believe it is just a part of life.
Causes
Although there is no known cause for pibloktoq, Western scientists have attributed the disorder to the lack of sun, the extreme cold, and the desolate state of most villages in the region. Wallace and Ackerman outlined the background of the Polar Eskimos, noting that a reason for the disorder present in their culture may be due to the isolation of their cultural group. [6] Other researchers have found that pibloktoq could be linked to poor nutrition, principally a lack of calcium, tetany, or hypervitamintosis A. [7] [8] The extremely limited sunlight during the winter reduces the amount of Vitamin D exposure, therefore not allowing the body to properly utilize what little calcium is found within the Eskimo diet. Likewise, vitamin A is overly abundant in the "livers, kidneys, and fat of arctic fish and mammals" that make up the bulk of their food. [9]
References
1.Association., American Psychiatric. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition (Text Revision). New York: American Psychiatric, Inc., 2000.
2. [1] Two Perspectives on the Etiology of Pibloktoq. Lister, Janet. (1989).Two Perspectives on the Etiology of Pibloktoq. -- Lambda Alpha Journal of Man, v.20, p.111-129.
3. Pibloktoq Wallace, Anthony F.C. and Robert E. Ackerman. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Mental Disorder among the Polar Eskimos of Northwest Greenland. Anthropologica, 1960. Vol. II(2):249-260.
4. [2]Pibloktoq (hysteria) and Inuit nutrition: possible implication of hypervitaminosis A. This is an article that discusses how vitamin intoxication may be a leading cause for pibloktoq.
5. [3]Wallace, Anthony F.C. and Robert E. Ackerman. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Mental Disorder among the Polar Eskimos of Northwest Greenland. This article discusses Arctic life and the syndrome pibloktoq. It also states that a lack of calcium as a factor in this disorder.
6. [4] Arctic Hysteria This is a great article because it tells of individuals' actual sightings of people having attacks from the syndrome pibloktoq.
7. [5] Hysterical Psychosis:The Cross-cultural evidence This article provides detailed information on hysterical psychosis along with the syndrome pibloktoq.
8. [6]Pibloktoq (Arctic hysteria): A construction of European-Inuit relations? This article tells of how the stess of the contact between Euro-Americans and the Eskimos may have resulted in anxiety symptoms that were later documented.
9. [7] "Trance: A Biocultural and Psychophysiological Analysis Applied to the Haitian Vodouisant" This article dicusses how calcium-deficiency and tetany are related to trance-states and pibloktoq.
10. [8] "Cultural Psychiatry in Historical Perspective" This article provides an overview of cultural psychiatry.
Pibloktoq
Also known as Arctic Hysteria, pibloktoq is a dissociative-like condition that almost exclusively affects people in the circumpolar region. It is a common occurrence, most prevalent during the harsh winter months, and thus is not seen as a 'disorder' to natives and carries virtually no stigma. Described as a 'hysteria', attacks of pibloktoq are characterized by a sudden onset of seizures, incoherent shouting, or tearing of the clothes, lasting anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, followed by a period of rest and/or a coma lasting up to 12 hours and amnesia of the attack. [1] [2] Although the disorder is known as both Arctic Hysteria and pibloktoq, the natives of the area refer to it as pibloktoq.
History
Explorers were the first to notice pibloktoq. Among these, Admiral Robert E. Peary provided a detailed look into the disorder during an expedition to Greenland. The acts Peary and his men witnessed among the Inuit women provided entertainment, and, having sent the women's male counterparts out on missions, Peary's men reaped the sexual benefits of being the only males present. [3] Pibloktoq is not limited to the indigenous people; reports of stranded sailors during the 1800's exhibiting the same symptoms have been found. The disorder is said to have existed before Western contact and still occurs today.
Origin
Pibloktoq can be found anywhere among the Arctic Circle, but it is believed to be seen mainly in Northern Greenland, which is made up of mostly Polar Eskimos. Eskimos in general are frequently diagnosed with pibloktoq, especially native Eskimos. Although pibloktoq is said to occur mostly among women, a few reports of the condition among men and dogs have been found, with no reports among children. Stemming from the actions of Peary and his men, the belief that females usually fall victim to pibloktoq because of jealousy, neglect, or abuse from their partner and their desparate need for affection were popular for some time. Researchers since have studied pibloktoq and attribute it to a calcium-deficiency or toxic levels of vitamin A. [4]
Symptoms
There are various symptoms of pibloktoq. An affected person may or may not exhibit the same symptoms as others, although the sudden onset is universal for most all reported cases. Those symptoms include: cursing, consuming fecal matter, psychotic behavior, mumbling, screaming, tearing off of one's clothes and running nude through the ice and snow, and seizures. Impulses to perform tasks that are not part of the person's regular routine, such as jumping from the roof of their home or scaling an icy mountain, have also been reported. Other symptoms are bloodshot eyes, uncontrollable shaking, and high fever. [5] Persons with pibloktoq will often seclude themselves or become increasingly irritable just before an attack. After the episode has ended the person will sleep for a prolonged period.
Cultural View of Disorder
Eskimos do not consider pibloktoq to be dangerous or even abnormal. Bystanders rarely intervene unless it is apparent that the affected is capable of hurting themselves or others. Although Western culture considers this disorder as extreme, native Eskimos believe it is just a part of life.
Causes
Although there is no known cause for pibloktoq, Western scientists have attributed the disorder to the lack of sun, the extreme cold, and the desolate state of most villages in the region. Wallace and Ackerman outlined the background of the Polar Eskimos, noting that a reason for the disorder present in their culture may be due to the isolation of their cultural group. [6] Other researchers have found that pibloktoq could be linked to poor nutrition, principally a lack of calcium, tetany, or hypervitamintosis A. [7] [8] The extremely limited sunlight during the winter reduces the amount of Vitamin D exposure, therefore not allowing the body to properly utilize what little calcium is found within the Eskimo diet. Likewise, vitamin A is overly abundant in the "livers, kidneys, and fat of arctic fish and mammals" that make up the bulk of their food. [9]
References
1.Association., American Psychiatric. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition (Text Revision). New York: American Psychiatric, Inc., 2000.
2. [1] Two Perspectives on the Etiology of Pibloktoq. Lister, Janet. (1989).Two Perspectives on the Etiology of Pibloktoq. -- Lambda Alpha Journal of Man, v.20, p.111-129.
3. Pibloktoq Wallace, Anthony F.C. and Robert E. Ackerman. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Mental Disorder among the Polar Eskimos of Northwest Greenland. Anthropologica, 1960. Vol. II(2):249-260.
4. [2]Pibloktoq (hysteria) and Inuit nutrition: possible implication of hypervitaminosis A. This is an article that discusses how vitamin intoxication may be a leading cause for pibloktoq.
5. [3]Wallace, Anthony F.C. and Robert E. Ackerman. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Mental Disorder among the Polar Eskimos of Northwest Greenland. This article discusses Arctic life and the syndrome pibloktoq. It also states that a lack of calcium as a factor in this disorder.
6. [4] Arctic Hysteria This is a great article because it tells of individuals' actual sightings of people having attacks from the syndrome pibloktoq.
7. [5] Hysterical Psychosis:The Cross-cultural evidence This article provides detailed information on hysterical psychosis along with the syndrome pibloktoq.
8. [6]Pibloktoq (Arctic hysteria): A construction of European-Inuit relations? This article tells of how the stess of the contact between Euro-Americans and the Eskimos may have resulted in anxiety symptoms that were later documented.
9. [7] "Trance: A Biocultural and Psychophysiological Analysis Applied to the Haitian Vodouisant" This article dicusses how calcium-deficiency and tetany are related to trance-states and pibloktoq.
10. [8] "Cultural Psychiatry in Historical Perspective" This article provides an overview of cultural psychiatry.