: Management Approaches to Dhat Syndrome: A review

Dhat syndrome is a culture-bound syndrome with pathological concerns about losing vitality through the passage of ‘Dhat,’ which is considered equivalent to semen. It is typically diagnosed in young adult males but also found in females in various age groups. A PUBMED search performed with keywords of ‘Dhat syndrome’ & ‘Semen-loss’ with the Boolean operator ‘OR’ yielded 86 articles across various types. Non-English articles and non-relevant articles were excluded. Various studies have described and discussed the historical perspectives, evolution, phenomenology, and clinical profile, but few studies have actually focused on the management aspects of Dhat syndrome. There is a paucity of interventional research in this area, and existing literature has wide variability in the reports due to heterogeneous samples and methodologies. Individualized plans, patient-centered and integrated approaches combining psychotherapeutic and pharmacological management have been suggested as beneficial by many reviews and research outcomes compared to any methods alone. More interventional and clinical trials are needed to standardize the management approaches.