“Khyâl attacks”: A key syndrome of psychological distress among Cambodian populations

Devon E. Hinton M.D., Ph.D

Siddharth K. Joshi B.Sc.

“Khyâl Attack” is now one of 9 cultural concepts of distress in the new DSM-V manual (2013).

Khyâl attacks (“wind attacks”) are a key way that Cambodian refugees conceptualize the somatic symptoms caused by psychological distress. The information about khyâl attack on this website aims to educate health care professionals and researchers about this syndrome in order to facilitate successful treatment of Cambodian populations.