A folk diagnostic term used in India to refer to severe anxiety and hypochondriacal concerns associated with the discharge of semen, whitish discoloration of the urine, and feelings of weakness and exhaustion. Similar to jiryan (India), sukra prameha (Sri Lanka), and shen-k’uei (China).
Dhat is a culture-bound syndrome that is considered a “hypochondriacal concern associated with the discharge of semen, whitish discoloration of the urine, and feelings of weakness and exhaustion” (American Psychiatric Association, 1994,. This disorder is found primarily among males in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.