Saladerra - a culture-bound misfortune syndrome in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

As the result of a field study of an urban, Mestizo spiritualist healer in the Peruvian Amazon, the author presents data on a new, culture-bound disorder, called saladerra. Characterized by an acute anxiety reaction with little or no somatization, the syndrome is perceived by patients to take the form of constant and continuing misfortune and bad luck. The paper presents a clinical description of saladerra, examines folkloric references to the origin of the complex, discusses the epidemiological significance of the syndrome, and sets it occurrence within the context of changing urbanization. Case histories of ten patients treated by one folk healer are presented in detail. Aspects of the spiritualist belief system, Septrionismo, used by the healer to treat the disorder are described, as well as his specific therapeutic modalities.