Syndromes-Origin

The word syndrome as per dictionary means " A set of concurrent things (such as emotions or actions) that usually form an identifiable patterns." It also means "A group of signs or symptoms that occur and characterize a particular abnormality or condition.".

Syndrome is usually associated with medial profession and terminology where a number of syndromes have been identified and labelled, like, Dow's syndrome, Acquired Immunity Deficiency syndrome,Asperger Syndrome, etc. In medical terminology it is usually applied when diagnosing a condition or disease and the doctors tend to look for a group of symptoms. As long as the group of symptoms remain mysterious , it is normally referred to as a specific syndrome usually named after the physician or a group of physicians.But after sometime while it is being continuously referred as such the name stick  even after the disease is identified and no longer remains mysterious. .It is also possible that it may not be specific to one disease.The typical example is the toxic shock syndrome which can be caused by a number of toxins.The term syndrome besides medical terminology is often used in psychology also.

Recently the word syndrome has also been associated with the place where they occur. We now have Stockholm syndrome, Helsinki Syndrome, Lima Syndrome, China Syndrome, or even Coyote Syndrome. A majority of these are associated with hostage situations that have occurred in the past at those places except Helsinki syndrome which did not happen but it was referred to as such by Bruce Wills in the Movie "Die Hard" while dealing with a hostage situation. Probably the reference was to Stockholm syndrome.

The China syndrome reefers to a scenario where a meltdown of all components in a nuclear reactor takes place and is actually used in a fictional form. Coyote syndrome on the other hand refers to a situation where the coyote will chew his own leg which was caught in a snare and is usually used in relation to a situation where an individual will actually harm himself in order to save his life.
Stockholm syndrome is a psychological syndrome in which a person being held captive by their hostage  begins to identify and grow sympathetic  to his or her captor, simultaneously being unsympathetic towards the police or other authorities and arose from a situation in Stockholm in 1993 where a hostage was romantically attached to one of her captors. This was used in one of the James Bond movies.

Lima syndrome on the other hand is opposite to Stockholm syndrome. The name arose from a hostage situation in Lima where a revolutionary group took control of the Japanese Embassy. It is a situation where the captors/abductors/ aggressors tend to develop positive feelings towards their hostage, very often letting them free.

London syndrome could be said to be polar opposite of Stockholm syndrome and gets its name from a 1980 hostage situation in which Iranian Embassy in London was taken over by Iranian militants demanding the release of some Iranian prisoners.

 

Recently a new syndrome has been added o the list called "Havana Syndrome" This syndrome was first reported in the second half of 2017 when reports surfaced stating that American diplomats were subjected to covert sonic weapon last year. All these individuals reported symptoms like nausea,, severe headache, fatigue, dizziness and sleep problems.They also reported sudden pressure changes and vibrations in their rooms or houses.