Amok syndrome
culture-bound syndrome
Amok syndrome is an aggressive dissociative behavioral pattern derived from the Malay world which led to the English phrase running amok. The word derives from the Malay word amuk, traditionally meaning "rushing in a frenzy" or "attacking furiously". Amok syndrome presents as an episode of sudden mass assault against people or objects following a period of brooding. It has traditionally been regarded as specifically occurring in Malay culture, but is now increasingly viewed as more general psychopathological behavior. The syndrome of "Amok" is found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV TR). In the DSM-V, Amok syndrome is no longer considered a culture-bound syndrome, since the category of culture-bound syndrome has been removed.
Malay word
The term amok originated from the Malay word meng-âmuk, which when roughly defined means "to make a furious and desperate charge". In turn, the word was derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word hamuk, "attack". According to Malaysian and Indonesian cultures, amok is rooted in a deep spiritual belief. Malaysians traditionally believe that amok is caused by the hantu belian, which is an evil tiger spirit that enters one's body and causes the heinous act.
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This entry incorporates text from “Amok syndrome” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.