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Taijin kyofusho (TKS), an East Asian diagnosis characterized by interpersonal fear and avoidance, is classified by DSM-IV as a culture-bound syndrome (see Journal Watch Psychiatry Jun 21 2006). TKS includes a “neurotic” or “typical” subtype similar to the DSM-IV diagnosis of social anxiety disorder, and an “offensive” subtype, which involves fear of offending others, rather than just embarrassing oneself, through personal defects or inappropriate behavior. The offensive subtype overlaps with DSM-IV diagnoses of delusional and body dysmorphic disorders.
In this questionnaire-based study, 181 U.S. and 64 Korean patients with DSM-IV social anxiety disorder reported TKS symptoms — five considered common to both social anxiety disorder and TKS (f…