Susto

Susto is a cultural illness recognized primarily among Latin American cultures, documented in Mexico, Central America and Mexican American communities in the United States. Often called fright sickness, it is conceptualized as the soul leaving the body as a result of a sudden scare, and described as a condition of chronic somatic suffering stemming from emotional trauma or from witnessing a traumatic experience lived by others. Researchers treat susto as a cultural concept of distress, meaning that culture shapes how people understand, express and respond to the illness.