Letter to the Editor February 15, 1998

Emergence of Koro After Abrupt Cessation of Olanzapine

Rachelle H. Ramos; Cathy L. Budman

J Clin Psychiatry 1998;59(2):86-87

Article Abstract

Sir: Koro is a Malay term meaning "head of a turtle." First reported by Dutch physicians working in western Sulawesi, the condition has also been observed among ethnic Chinese, where it has been known as suoyang (suo: retract; yang: penis). Koro has been described as the intense fear that one’s genitals are shrinking into the body and may recede into the abdomen, possibly causing death.