Paper short abstract:

This is a medical anthropology study of 'Ataque de Nervios' (AND),developed in Genoa with Latin people.The purpose is observing AND characteristics in reference to work experience in Emergency and in the Mental Health Service.It has been developed especially with women with quantitative/qualitative methods.

Paper long abstract:

<i>Ataques de nervios</i> is an illness expression used by people from Latin America in general and by Caribbean people in particular for a culture-bound syndrome. It is frequently used to describe dramatic physical reactions including shaking, palpitation, and compulsive movements during funerals, when death strikes, or when accidents happen. The symptoms suggest a connection between panic disorder and agoraphobia, what makes it difficult to interpret the symptoms especially during medical emergencies that call for a quick diagnosis. The aim of my paper is to clearly distinguish <i>ataques de nervios</i> from other panic disorders by describing its nosology and eziology in reference to the American Psychiatric Literature and by drawing on the author's work-experience at mental health centres for immigrants in Barcelona and in Genoa. The paper is based on a study that was developed together with Latin women and focused on the epidemiological characteristics of this illness.