We will try to figure out how to spot some unknown and misunderstood mental illnesses.
1. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
Symptoms:
- Patients with Todd Syndrome are usually young people in their 20s who are suffering from brain tumors, strong migraines or are in the beginning stages of Epstein-Barr virus.
- They will start to perceive distortion in the size and color of their surroundings, seeing objects as larger or smaller than their actual size, even including their own bodies.
- Sometimes confusing colors.
- Disorientation.
- The condition is rare and temporary, so another sign could be that it would stop in a matter of time.
2. Factitious Disorder
Symptoms:
- People with this disorder deliberately make themselves ill.
- Constant and eager visits to see a doctor and receive treatment at the hospital or through prescription medicine.
- Patients will often make up stories that involve never-ending symptoms that will help them go from doctor to doctor.
- They have a thorough knowledge of medical terminology.
3. Alien Hand Syndrome
Symptoms:
- Reports of a hand or limb which suddenly has a mind of its own moves as it pleases, and even becomes violent toward the patient by trying to grab their neck, scratch them, or take off their clothes.
- Patients feel alienated toward their hand or limb to the degree that it could drive them to hurt themselves.
4. Dissociative Identity Disorder
Symptoms:
- People with DID appear to have more than one identity. They have different names, personalities, and genders.
- There is a random switch from one identity to the other with no warning, after hours or years.
- There are episodes of amnesia.
- Patients don’t realize what is going on with their condition, which makes it hard for them to live a normal life and causes struggles in their family, social, and professional life.
5. Stendhal Syndrome
Symptoms:
- Dizziness and fainting
- Disorientation and confusion
- Sudden high levels of anxiety
- An abrupt increase in their heartbeat
- Hallucinations
6. Cotard Delusion
Symptoms:
- Patients show the belief that they’re dead, ghosts, don’t exist, are already in a putrefying state, or have lost all their blood flow and organ function.
- Since they believe they’re gone, they stop eating or drinking any amount of food or water because they think they don’t need nutrients.
- Depression
- Signs of social alienation
7. Visual Agnosia
Symptoms:
- Patients exhibit confusion between what they see and what they believe they see, so they can mistake a doll for a dog, for example.
- Trouble recognizing places and faces that should be familiar to them.
8. Wendigo Psychosis
Symptoms:
- Signs of depression and neurosis
- Chronic loneliness
- Aggressive and violent behavior