Background
Hwa-byung is a syndrome caused by unrelieved anger
accumulated inside the body. As anger builds up in the
patient and fails to be released, the patient reaches a
breaking point and explodes in anger and rage. These
emotions are categorized as ‘fire’ in Korean medicine,
hence the name, ‘fire sickness’. In the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition
(DSM-IV) and in the USA, Hwa-byung is named ‘anger
syndrome’ and though to be a Korean culture-bound illness.
The annual occurrence of Hwa-byung is approximately
4.2 to 11.9%, and often occurs in middle-aged
patients. Because the illness is usually caused by stress
occurring over a relatively long period, and symptoms
continue even in the absence of the factors that caused
the unresolved symptoms, many patients think they are
unlikely to be cured.