"India Syndrome": Culture clash and psychiatric plight
Photo courtesy: Vyacheslav Argenberg
One destination that truly ignites the imagination is India, a land steeped in architectural marvels - from ancient temples to regal palaces, bustling markets and colourful festivals. Yet, for Western travelers, the encounter with India can be nothing short of disastrous. While this isn’t the case for everyone, India can be uniquely unforgiving, sometimes throwing travelers in the psychological deep end. So, why is this the case?
Spiritual tourism:
India emerged as the epicenter of spiritual exploration in the West during the counterculture movements in the 1960s and 70s. Alongside the surge in popularity of yoga and meditation trends, thousands of Westerners flocked to India in search of enlightenment, and hippies adopted Hinduism and Buddhism to reconnect with their bodies, sensations and minds. Mainstream figures, including John Lenon and Julia Roberts, also publicly embraced these religions, fueling India’s mystique in the Western consciousness.
What is India syndrome?
In 1985, at the height of spiritual tourism, Régis Airault, resident psychiatrist at the French Embassy in Mumbai, noticed a curious condition among French travelers, mostly in their twenties or early thirties. He named it ‘India syndrome’. After weeks and months in India, many developed psychiatric disorders, ranging from confusion and stress to acute psychosis and, in some extreme cases, a complete loss of identity.
Travelers arrive with exaggerated and sometimes misplaced expectations of what India can offer – emotionally, physically or spiritually – and are left bewildered when confronted with sights of extreme poverty, overwhelming smells, and the omnipresence of death, instead of the pure and ‘exotic’ land they imagined. Others are completely enamored and become cult leaders and yoga gurus.
Airault distinguishes the symptoms from mere culture shock, which manifests within a few days, while India syndrome emerges after weeks and months. Its effects vary significantly from person to person - some reject the country, others are completely sucked in. What remains consistent, however, is the profound psychological and behavioral shift that occurs.
While India syndrome is not recognised as an official diagnosis, the symptoms are sufficiently concerning that several embassies and consulates in India have permanent psychiatrists to treat their nationals in this situation. Insurance companies also include clauses that waive insurance coverage if the traveler has a psychiatric history or uses drugs.
According to Dr Sunil, senior psychiatrist at the Cosmos Institute of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, approximately one foreign tourist every week falls under the umbrella of India syndrome. The tourists arrive at his clinic through the recommendation of their embassy, in response to the concerned pleas of a family member or an arrest made by police.
Long-term consequences:
In most cases, the treatment is simple: a return ticket. In fact, many who display symptoms of India syndrome completely forget how they felt and want to come back to India. But, in some serious cases, the symptoms can persist for much longer, even after returning home. Drug users and those with mental health conditions, or ‘deep-rooted issues that they were hoping to solve in India’ are most vulnerable to longer-lasting effects of India syndrome.
Unfortunately, some have died and others vanished. Most famously, in 2012, 40-year-old journalist Jonathan Spollen disappeared and was believed to have joined a cloistered and extreme Hindu religious cult.
‘Cousins’ to the India syndrome:
There are related travel phenomena akin to the India syndrome. Stendhal syndrome has been observed among religious tourists in Jerusalem, who experience spontaneous psychosis when visiting the city. Some think they are hearing God or are in the presence of saints. The same goes for visitors to Florence, who are physically overwhelmed, or even hallucinate, when seeing the artistic beauty of the city. Paris syndrome is characterised by feelings of extreme disillusionment, despair and anxiety when faced with the contrast between the reality of the capital and the romanticised expectation.
Travel syndromes highlight the profound impact that our mental constructs about a destination and the encountering of diverse cultures can have on our wellbeing. India syndrome stands out as originating from a Western colonial perspective of Eastern traditions. Today, there remains a fascination with Indian spirituality and pursuit of deeper purpose from Westerners. However, thanks to social media and the growing understanding around cultural dynamics, more and more people are taking a step back and reevaluating the appropriateness of these kinds of trips to India.