Latah Syndrome—Indonesians are familiar with the term latah. In addition, many television comedy shows often make jokes about people who have latah behaviour. In fact, Murphy (1983) states that latah is a psychogenic disorder based on traditional beliefs about possession, which for Malaysians is specifically associated with latah reactions.
What is actually Latah Syndrome?
According to Bayer (1997), Latah is a culture-bound syndrome first observed by O’Brein in Malaysians in 1882. The term literally means ‘tiklish’, ‘jumpy’ or ‘love madness’. Logan was the first to write it in English in 1849, describing it as an uncontrollable startle reaction. According to Bakker and Tijssen (2010), clinically, Latah is a culture-specific syndrome consisting of complex behaviours in Malayan or Indonesian patients, but it has also been reported in certain regions of Africa and Arabia.
Latah is often referred to as a neuropsychiatric startle syndrome, but to some extent it can be seen as a behaviour and part of the culture of the Malay and Indonesian people. The concept of ‘culture-bound syndromes’ has been the interpretation of this condition and being a cultural elaboration of universal neuropsychological phenomena as a particular culture. It was the 8th edition of Kraepelin’s textbook of psychiatry in 1909 that first labelled the terms of culture-bound syndromes as latah, koro and amok.
What causes Latah Syndorme?
The initial cause of latah is a sudden stimulus to the auditory, visual, tactile, gustatory and proprioceptive systems. The suddenness of the stimulus triggers the startle response. Neuropsychological studies have shown that the strength of a startle response can vary greatly with the time between the initial appearance of the stimulus and its maximum strength. Unexpectedness is also a factor, both when no potentially significant stimulus is expected and when the configuration is unexpected.
What are the types of Latah?
Simons (1980) divides the Latah into three distinct types of behaviour, such as:
- Immediate Response Latah
It is a type of latah that consists of a strong reaction to a startling stimulus that is amusing, such as violent body movements, assuming habitual defensive postures, striking, throwing or dropping held objects, and sometimes “naughty talk”.
- Attention Capture Latah
It is described as a response to the startle by matching or initiating another action completely and sometimes obediently.
- Role Latah
Simons describes it as the practice of selecting the behaviour that can be performed after a stimulus that is insufficient to elicit a startle response. Simons also states that an actual startle may not occur, but the acted version is usually performed.
What is the treatment for Latah?
For some people who do not suffer from latah, these symptoms may be seen as something amusing. However, for people with latah, imitating other people’s words or behaviour is often tiring. Also, they cannot control their response to the stimulus and even for some cases, they may do a dangerous movement such as kicking or talking naughty as a response to the stimulus.
Some treatment below is commonly given to overcome latah, including:
- Speech Therapy
This treatment is offered to people with echolalia to train them to say what they are thinking. The therapist will identify the cause of the latent and then try to understand why the latent repeats the words of others.
- Chemical Medicine
If the cause of latah is an anxiety disorder, mental disorder, epilepsy or Tourette’s syndrome, the doctor will prescribe specific medication. It is important to remember that these medications are designed to reduce the severity of the condition, not to cure latah.
The most important thing to remember is not to make fun of those suffering from latah. Instead, treat them carefully so that they feel accepted and, if possible, suggest that they seek professional help to overcome their condition. PRS.
