Paris Syndrome

7 June 2011

That is what some polite Japanese tourists suffer when they discover that Parisians can be rude or the city does not meet their expectations.

The experience can apparently be too stressful for some and they suffer a psychiatric breakdown.

via BBC News

Seems pretty serious. Going from a culture with sparsely raised voices and rare rudeness to a country that, while not particularly rude or inconsiderate (no more than across the Channel, anyway) is so different to the culture portrayed in films such as Amelie it can cause shock due to the harsh realities. Oddly seems treatable through hospitalisation.

The Japanese embassy has a 24-hour hotline for those suffering from severe culture shock, and can help find hospital treatment for anyone in need.

However, the only permanent cure is to go back to Japan - never to return to Paris.

via BBC News