Jinjinia Bemar

“Jinjinia Bemar”, also known as “koro”, “rok-joo”, “shuk yang”, “suk-yeong”, “suo yang”, and “shook jong”, is a culture-bound syndrome which is most often associated with China and other Asian countries. This is characterized by the delusion that the penis (among males) or the nipples and vulva (among females) are shriveling. Those who are suffering from this syndrome are also experiencing anxiety, especially since it is believed that the reproductive organs’ drawing into the body may lead to death. Some communities believe that a male with this condition has to tie his penis to a stone or ask friends to hold it to prevent the organ from shrinking and disappearing into the abdomen. Jinjinia Bemar may, for reasons not well understood, become an epidemic. This is also related to the belief that ghosts do not have genitals.