title: Phenomenology and beliefs of patients with Dhat syndrome: A nationwide multicentric study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the phenomenology and associated beliefs in patients with Dhat syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 780 male patients aged more than 16 years were recruited from 15 centers spread across the country and were assessed on Dhat Syndrome Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most commonly reported reasons for passage of Dhat were excessive masturbation (55.1%), sexual dreams (47.3%), excessive sexual desire (42.8%) and consumption of high energy foods (36.7%). The most common situation in which participants experienced passage of Dhat were as 'night falls' (60.1%) and 'while passing stools' (59.5%). The most common consequence due to passage of Dhat was weakness in sexual ability (75.6%). In terms of psychological and somatic symptoms, the common symptoms included bodily weakness (78.2%); feeling tired or having low energy (75.9%); feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (67.9%); and little interest or pleasure in doing things (63.7%). In terms of treatment expectations, about half of the patients (49.1%) expected that energizing medications like vitamins/tonics/tablets were required and more than one-third (38.2%) expected that there was a need for taking energizing injections.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Present study shows that Dhat syndrome is a distinct clinical entity seen all over India, with its characteristic features.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India drsandeepg2002@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avasthi
authors.affiliation: NIMS Medical College & Hospital, Jaipur, India.
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Calcutta National Medical College (CNMC), Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Amitava
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dan
authors.affiliation: Medical College and Hospital (MCH), Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Rajarshi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neogi
authors.affiliation: Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Wardha, India.
authors.forename: Prakash B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Behere
authors.affiliation: B J Medical College & Civil hospital, Ahmedabad, India.
authors.forename: Bhavesh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lakdawala
authors.affiliation: King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India.
authors.forename: Adarsh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS), Kalyani, India.
authors.forename: Kaustav
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.affiliation: Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Agra, India.
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.affiliation: Guru Teg Bahadur hospital, University College of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Manjeet Singh
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bhatia
authors.affiliation: Hi-tech Medical College, Bhubaneswar, India.
authors.forename: Amrit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patjoshi
authors.affiliation: JSS Medical College, Mysore, India.
authors.forename: T S S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Mewat, India.
authors.forename: Abhijit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rozatkar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004542:Ejaculation; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D012661:Semen; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D063189:Symptom Assessment; D013577:Syndrome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dhat syndrome; beliefs; clinical picture; culture-bound syndrome