8 Bizarre Psychological Disorders Affecting Modern Man

2. Retired Husband Syndrome

Imagine how you might feel on your 70th birthday. If you can look beyond the fear of impending death, you might be able to picture yourself being excited at the prospect of having a pension to spend and lots of free time to fill with your newly retired spouse. And then it hits you. A tragic case of retired husband syndrome. I assure you that I've not just made that up. This is another condition primarily occurring in Japanese people, affecting almost two thirds of the nation's women. As her husband approaches retirement age, a patient may find herself experiencing depression and anxiety but may also become physically ill with rashes, asthma, ulcers and raised blood pressure. The theory behind the condition is that Japanese women are often expected to serve their husbands in a stereotypical housewife role when he gets home from work in the evenings. The knowledge that the husband will soon be at home seven days a week may seem incredibly daunting to some women and causes feelings of stress and depression. So yet again, prehistoric man has got one up on us here. The moment humanity invented retirement, we doomed generations of housewives to years of depression and anxiety.