In search of meaning or exoticism, India is a destination that attracts.<br />But this exotic experience can sometimes drive you crazy!<br />More than any other country, India has the gift of stimulating the imagination and arousing intense aesthetic emotions that can at any moment plunge the traveler into total anxiety.<br />For this reason, our "experience" of India can be somewhat ambivalent.<br />"It depends on the personal history of each person, his or her "desire to travel" and the past traumas buried deep inside (...). Because India speaks to the unconscious: it provokes it, makes it boil and, sometimes, overflow." Régis Ayrault in his essay "Mad about India"<br />The India Syndrome is a concept theorized by Régis Ayrault, psychiatrist at the French Consulate in Mumbai who observed curious behaviors on the part of Westerners freshly arrived in India: loss of bearings, anxiety, sadness, hallucinations or psychotic delusions...<br />More than a simple culture shock, the India syndrome can manifest itself in two ways: <br />- a fascination for the country and a connection with it: the person feels at home.<br />- a rejection of the country, its culture and its codes: the person does not manage to acclimatize.<br />This is more relevant to teenagers or young adults looking for answers. <br />For some, the only remedy is to take a return ticket to reconnect with reality.<br />But for others, this experience can leave lifelong scars.<br />This phenomenon is well known since insurance companies provide packages for tourists whose insurance coverage may be cancelled when the traveler has a psychiatric or mental health history if he/she uses drugs (the risks of being affected by this syndrome are thus higher).
