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TRUE OR FALSE. Paris syndrome, myth or reality?
According to Paris syndrome, disappointed Japanese tourists fall into depression after their trip to the French capital. What does science say about this?
(franceinfo)
According to Paris syndrome, disappointed Japanese tourists fall into depression after their trip to the French capital. What does science say about this?
The Paris syndrome is that of disillusionment with a French capital far from the one we imagined. Parisians themselves have heard about it. In reality, it all started with one man: the Japanese psychiatrist attached to Sainte-Anne hospital in the 1980s, Hiroaki Ota. In his Japanese patients, the doctor notices anxiety attacks, even behavioral problems and delusional attitudes. For him, one of the reasons would be their disappointment, in addition to cultural differences.
A diagnosis called into question
But Dr. Ota specifies that patients affected by this syndrome often have a history, such as schizophrenia, which may have pushed them to travel. At Sainte-Anne hospital, his diagnosis is known but questioned. “It is described as being very Japanese when it concerns all cultures and even the French when they go from one city to another”, explains psychiatrist Philip Gorwood. The Japanese embassy also does not recognize this Paris syndrome, which is very present on social networks and in the media, the existence of which has never been demonstrated.
Among our sources
The Japanese on a pathological trip to Paris: an original model of transcultural care, A. Viala; Hiroaki Ota. ; Marie-Noëlle Vacheron. ; P. Martin. ; F. Caroli. Rib. journal of pychiatry (2004). Internal document in the archives of Sainte-Anne hospital / GHU Paris.
20 minutes, Les Echos (paying), Ouest France, Le Point, Géo
Philip Gorwood: psychiatrist, head of the CMME department (Clinic of Mental Diseases and the Brain) at Sainte Anne Hospital / GHU Paris. Team leader at the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences of Paris – Inserm. Professor of psychiatry at the University of Paris
His Linkedin page
His CV and main publications according to the Paris Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences
Miki Sekiguchi: French-Japanese clinical psychologist in Paris
His Linkedin page
Fumie Todo: clinical psychologist in Paris, referenced by the Japanese Embassy in Paris. Author in particular of Qualitative study of the experience of the Japanese in Paris: between adjustment and necessary adaptation, 2019
Embassy of Japan in Paris: email exchanges + paragraph dedicated to Paris syndrome on its internet page
Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris
Ile de France Regional Health Agency
Non-exhaustive list
