| My first visit to Paris in 2005 was also my first overseas solo trip. Back then, iPhones didn’t exist and the exorbitant cost of international roaming was out of my budget, meaning I was cut off from my day-to-day life at home in Australia. “Paris Syndrome” was still a niche concept, but awareness was starting to build. Coined in the 1980s by psychiatrist Hiroaki Ota, the term is used to describe the extreme culture shock that some Japanese travelers face when their experience of the French capital doesn’t live up to expectations. In the most severe cases, hospitalization and repatriation may be involved. Ota and his colleagues published a paper in 2004 that mentioned 63 Japanese nationals had been admitted to the Sainte-Anne psychiatric hospital in Paris since 1988. Some were in a delusional state, while others showed signs of major anxiety. Several patients had a history of mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Millions of Japanese tourists have visited Paris over the years, so the number of hospitalizations is quite minimal. It’s unclear whether hospital admissions linked to Paris Syndrome still occur and if so, to what extent. No comprehensive statistics are available beyond 2011, the year the Japanese language consultation service at Saint-Anne hospital closed, Ota wrote in a book published earlier this year. He retired in 2021, according to his book. Still, some people argue there isn’t necessarily anything unique about Paris or Japanese travelers. Being in a different environment can be stressful for many individuals. GHU Paris — the hospital group that includes Saint-Anne — told me they didn’t have any professionals available to respond to my hospitalization queries. “Furthermore, Paris Syndrome is still the subject of debate from an epidemiological, scientific, and pathological perspective,” a spokesperson said by email. Meanwhile, the Japanese Embassy in France said their delegation was unable to assess potential cases of Paris Syndrome when I asked about repatriations. The embassy “always strives to provide the necessary support for any requests from travelers and nationals experiencing difficulties during their stay in France, including those with mental health issues,” according to an emailed response. The way people travel has changed since the research paper was published in 2004, in the French psychiatry journal Nervure. Tourists can now navigate cities with their smartphones, use Google Translate to communicate and keep in touch with friends and family in real time. The language barriers and feelings of isolation that are among the challenges linked to Paris Syndrome might not be as severe as they once were. That said, unrealistic expectations are social media’s stock-in-trade. If travelers are already feeling “wobbly,” then smartphones “will make it harder, not easier,” says Nicolas Geeraert, an associate professor at the department of psychology at the University of Essex. When it comes to the glossiness of social media, “if you are expecting it to be awesome all the time and the reality isn’t like that, that is going to create some unease.” — Lisa Pham | 
