Assessment of Dhat Syndrome: Clinical to Behavioral

Dhat Syndrome is a culture-bound syndrome, that is most commonly reported from India. A detailed assessment is of paramount importance for proper management of Dhat syndrome. Assessment should focus on the age of onset of symptoms, the whole range of symptoms, attribution of symptoms (i.e., loss of semen to be responsible for the various symptoms), frequency of semen loss, consistency and quantity of semen loss, situations in which semen loss occurs, beliefs and myths related to why they have semen loss, understanding about the semen formation, sources of (mis)information about semen formation, perceived consequences of loss of Dhat and sexual practices since the beginning and any change in sexual practices since the onset of clinical features. The clinicians should also assess the history of any sexual encounters and patients’ performance during the sexual encounter, history of night falls, any sexual dysfunction, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and comorbid physical diseases. Assessment should also focus on treatment history, including the pathways of care followed by the patient to date, as often many of the myths of patients are either reinforced or are attributed to the traditional healers. Finally, the assessment should also focus on the patient’s expectations of the treatment. Clinicians can use standard scales used to assess Dhat Syndrome.