India makes you crazy...

onigirlx

People often do lots of things abroad they would never do at home. And they often have preconceived notions of what a culture is about...India being one of the bigger clichés in my opinion; with its spirituality, etc. So I can imagine people make foolhardy decisions left and right, all while entertaining a fantasy existence. It's like Vegas, but bigger. You can easily make yourself ill this way. Mental health is no different than physical. And all the while there is digesting culture shock...most humans do not like change in large amounts.

More importantly, (and this could well be an unpopular opinion I'm about to express), I think a very obvious aspect to it is that westerners tend to live very cushy, sheltered lives. As pampered beings, it is not just easy but encouraged to flip out, break down, glue the back of your hand to your forehead and wail, etc etc...get yourself some attention! And that's nothing new. Consider the history of imperialism and the dynamics of westerners living in the places they occup(ied)...all the clichés of Europeans with "weak constitutions". Consider all the paranoia horror stories one hears about travel (and especially to places like India) from tourists and unhappy ex-pats... The 1000 names of Danger...Suddenly Last Summer...you know people had me half convinced I would _literally_ not be able to walk down the street here...what a crazy (hmmm there's that word) paranoid notion!

Of course, I'm not saying that only westerners undergo culture shock, or behave really differently(often irresponsibly) once they are outside the social constraints of their society's "eyes"...I'm just saying they are a bunch of whiny babies whose heads explode when they meet the real, less cushy, abstract bizarro "modern" world. Except for me of course. Ha ha ha.

Or maybe India does drive people mad, but then what does that say to those who come and don't go crazy? eh? eh?

brishti

ok - you asked for it onigirlsx!!!
TWO 'eh's' and you have earned yourself long island iced teas this weekend and we'll compare notes about 'crazy' after that

will treat you to Ramu's dosas too


:brishti

[ gosh!! its an apostrophe day, what ]

Bigzero

Very interesting article!

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karuna

I'm not quite convinced by the "oh they had tendencies anyway" argument. Cults, for example, use established "mind-control" techniques that work on anyone- plenty of perfectly sane people get sucked in. Plus mental health is not a positive or negative situation- it's not that you got it or you don't- it's a spectrum, and all of us are at different times at different places on it. Under the right circumstances I think just about anyone could be induced to behave in a way considered abnormal.

I think onigirlx is on to something with the behaviour while travelling thing. Especially if you're young. That sense of freedom, desire for adventure and propensity for risk-taking combined with fatigue (if you're travelling), culture shock and possibly also physical sickness- that's got you halfway to cuckooland right there.

Nick-H

Yes, but... there's a big difference between tourist lunacy and actual mental illness.

Mind you, some forms of mental illness have triggers, so I guess there can still be a link in those suffering or prone.

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rushie82

I find it quite intresting that people come here only become Shiva somehow, nobody becomes Rama or any othre god. May be because of all the stuff involved to smoke and sniff.
On the other hand I am glad nobody says I am Hanuman and burns down Srilanka.


You like Tehelka eh? Ok you got the job. Tarun Tejpal will wire you up and send you to Defence minister pretending to be an Isrealie arms dealer.

Nick-H

Oh yes! Tehelka is a must-read --- especially for anyone who completely believes that India is the land of gods, spirituality and enlightened gurus!

But I don't think I'm ready for under-cover work yet.

Aishah

'cushy, sheltered lives' in onigirlx's post - too true, but often the reaction is one of retreat, try to find comparable standards of accommodation etc. The most frequent complaint I hear here is that things should be the same as back in their own country. The shock of finding that they are not, and then on top of this, the inability to cope with it all, could certainly trigger some odd reactions. 'Indian syndrome' brought on by not only a mental illness already there - agree with you there, Karuna. I've also come across a case or two of young western people getting hooked by a Rishikesh baba, and mindgames being played by him to his advantage.

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theyyamdancer

I recently read the book entitled "Fous de l'Inde" (= "Crazy about India" - as well as "India's Crazies") written by the aforementioned Regis Airault (see the link at the beginning of thread by OP). Very interesting. When I started reading it I was expecting a jokey book about tourists who are in love with India and it turned out to be a very serious book on psychiatric problems of travellers in India.

onigirlx

as long as they're not "special", I'm in.

Nick-H

"India" has certainly driven me crazy.

Or, at least, dealing with builders, etc has.

It resulted in mental and emotional exhaustion and the need to get away for a few weeks. I had to take sleeping tablets (now comfortably given up) for about four months --- but that is still a very far cry from mental illness.

Aishah

Can relate to your Post 26 Nick - it's the constant frustration of trying to get things done, and not only done, but correctly! Building our place, many a time Mr K would beam with pride at the completion of something and I would internally think 'oh no!'
I lowered my standards many a time just to be able to get to the point of having somewhere decent to live (and it all took 7 years I might add!) I think I started that thread, 'How long does it take..' as an outlet for some of this frustration!!
Currently, there was meant to be a worker coming today to dig a gully to take away the drainage water from the house opposite and divert it in a more acceptable position away from our place assured us he'd be there by lunchtime. No, never turned up.
Well I won't lose sleep over that, but many a time there's been nights when a sleeping tablet might have been a good idea.
Mental and emotional exhaustion - in the first year or so definitely many moments like that - now the odd time when it's this way and not lasting for too long either.

PeakXV

Sorry - I missed your point?

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

Gardener972

What was in those "special lassis"? Sounds like a strong dose of acid to me. I'm always wanting to "hit the road" but that doesn't make me crazy (at least I don't think so). Too much of whatever in the 70's made me paranoid though.

edwardseco

I am told Israel experiences tourists going Jesus quite a few times a year. In India I knew 2 cases of loco en la cabeza and no drugs in either case.

One was a whole family (Americanos) that had been sent of all places to Bihar on a Fulbright. It was a freaky placement. The culture shock took them out and they locked themselves up in quarters. State had to be called in to ship them out. I knew it was going to be evil since in their luggage (immense) they packed blenders, aluminum foil, and what all. They didn't have a clue about Bihar! I would have killed to get a research assignment in Bihar instead being sent to a tame place but that is life.

Second case was a nice English grad student doing research on moneylending in Maharashtra. To do that directly was a guarantee of frustration and one day she locked up the entire college guest house! Don't know who managed shipping her home.

Makes you think how close any of us come to the breaking point under the right circumstances..