‘Moriti Wa Letswele’ (The Shadow of the Breast) — A Stress-Related Somatoform Pain Disorder

Abstract

Patients were identified at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital presenting the following clinical picture: pain under the left breast area as the major symptom. Other symptoms included anorexia, irritability and agitation. In the interview they reported that a faith healer or traditional healer had diagnosed ‘moriti wa letswele’ (literally, the shadow of the breast). Some of these patients had incision marks around the breast, reported to have been part of the treatment received from the traditional healers. The study aimed to identify and describe the symptomatology from the account given by the traditional healers, faith healers and patients suffering from the disorder, and the aetiological factors associated with the disorder. The findings of the study revealed that the clinical picture of ‘moriti wa letswele’ seem to fit in with the Somatoform Pain Disorder of the DSM-IV with definite cultural features associated with the disorder.