Hwabyeong

Hwabyeong
Hangul	화병
Hanja
Revised Romanization	hwabyeong
McCune–Reischauer	hwapyŏng

Hwabyeong or Hwabyung is a Koreansomatization disorder, a mental illness which arises when people are unable to confront their anger as a result of conditions which they perceive to be unfair. Hwabyung is loosely used as the name of the disease, as it is actually more of a name regarding the cause. Hwabyung is known as a culture-bound syndrome. The word hwabyung is composed of hwa meaning "fire", ("angry") and byung meaning "syndrome" or "illness". In South Korea, it is also called ulhwabyeong (鬱火病), "depression anger illness". In a survey, 4.1% of the general population in a rural area in Korea were reported as having hwabyung. Another survey shows that about 35% of Korean employees begin to suffer from this disease at some point.

Symptoms related to Hwabyeong are "eok-ul" (억울, 抑鬱, [feeling of] unfairness) and "bun" (분, 憤, eruption of anger), (a Korean culture-related sentiment related to social unfairness), external anger, heat sensation, pushing-up in the chest, respiratory stuffiness, going-out, epigastric mass, palpitations, insomnia, headache/pain, dry mouth, anorexia, frightening easily, sighing, sad mood, "hahn" (a Korean culture-related sad sentiment related to hard life and social unfairness resulting not only from the tragic collective national history, but also from a traumatic personal life), many thoughts, hate, anxiety with agitation, guilty feeling, and much pleading. These symptoms also include depression, anxiety, panic, lumps in the upper chest, or feelings of doom. Patients who are diagnosed may have previously experienced major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, or adjustment disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) criteria.

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