Ad Code

10 RARE MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS YOU PROBABLY HAVEN'T HEARD OF



(1) KUFUNGISISA

This could also be referred to as "thinking too much". It is found among the shona people of Zimbabwe. 

In many cultures, thinking too much is considered to be damaging to the mind and body,causing specific symptoms like headaches and dizziness. Kufungisisa involves ruminating on upsetting thoughts, particularly worries. It is a cultural expression considered to be causative to anxiety, depression and somatic problems. As an idiom, it is indicative of interpersonal and social difficulties. Thinking too much is a common idiom of distress and cultural explanation across many countries and ethnic groups including africa,the Caribbean, latin America and amongst east Asia

(2) CLINICAL LYCANTHROPY

This involves a delusion that the affected person can transform into an animal. It is a type of delusional misidenfication syndrome. People with this believe they can take the form of any particular animal. During this delusion or hallucination, affected individuals can act like the animal. For instance, people may act like wolves or be found in forests or wooded areas.

(3) KHYAL CAP

This is also referred to as "Wind Attacks"  is a syndrome mostly found amongst cambodians. Its common symptoms according to DSM-V are similar to those of panic attacks. Including dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, extreme cold. It also includes symptoms of autonomic arousal such as tinnitus and neck soreness. 

These attacks are centered on Khyal,a wind like substance,rising in the body and the blood which causes a range of serious effects. Khyal cap is an example of a cultural syndrome or we could put it as a syndrome that tends to co-occur amongs individuals in specific cultural groups, communities or contexts

(4) DIOGENES SYNDROME

This is the compulsive hoarding of rubbish and random items. This is mainly found in the elderly and is associated with progressive dementia. Other characteristics includes extreme self neglect,social withdrawal, apathy and lack of shame. The syndrome is a misnomer, as it is named after the Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope. Diogenes was a Cynic who, according to the philosophy he helped found, rejected the desire for wealth, power, and fame, choosing to live free from all possessions. He found virtue in poverty, slept in a large ceramic jar, and sought social interaction.

(5) STENDHAL SYNDROME

Those with Stendhal syndrome experience physical and emotional anxiety as well as panic attacks, dissociative experiences, confusion, and hallucinations when exposed to art. These symptoms are usually triggered by “art that is perceived as particularly beautiful or when the individual is exposed to large quantities of art that are concentrated in a single place,” such as a museum or gallery, according to Medscape. 

However, individuals may experience similar reactions to beauty in nature. 

This syndrome is named after a 19th-century French author who experienced the symptoms during a trip to Florence in 1817. 

Stendhal syndrome may also be called hyperculturemia or Florence syndrome

(6)DEPERSONALIZATION/DEREALIZATION DISORDER.

This is referred to as the seperation from oneself,one's surroundings. Patients who have this disorder feel they are observing themselves from outside their own body. They may also believe that things aren't real, as though their surroundings is distorted or time is speeding up or slowing down. One or both of this tendencies can lead to depersonalization/derealization disorder. These symptoms must be persistent to diagnose because according to PSYCHOLOGY TODAY,it is normal to feel this way briefly due to side effects of medication,recreational drugs or some other physical or mental health condition.

(7) ALICE IN WONDERLAND SYNDROME

Also known as Todd syndrome, Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is a neurological condition in which one’s perception of their body image, time, or space is distorted. Those experiencing AIWS may have hallucinations, sensory distortion, and an altered sense of velocity. Though there are many symptoms, the most prevalent one is altered body image: Patients are confused about the size and shape of parts of their bodies. These symptoms can trigger panic and fear responses.

AIWS is often associated with frequent migraines, brain tumors, or drug use and can affect children between the ages of five and ten 

(8) APOTEMNOPHILIA

This is also known as body integrity identity disorder, apotemnophilia is characterized by the “overwhelming desire to amputate healthy parts of [the] body.” Though not much is known about it, this disorder is believed to be neurological. Those affected may attempt to amputate their own limbs or damage the limb so that surgical amputation is necessary.

Apotemnophilia may be related to damage to the right parietal lobe in the brain. The condition is challenging to treat because people experiencing it often do not seek treatment. 

However, both cognitive behavioral therapy and aversion therapies can be attempted in order to treat apotemnophilia once treatment is sought.

(9) ALIEN HAND SYNDROME 

This syndrome is characterized by the belief that one’s hand has its own life and doesn’t belong to oneself. Individuals experiencing alien hand syndrome have normal sensation but feel their hand is autonomous. Those with alien hand syndrome may personify the limb as a separate entity: The unaffected hand is under the individual’s control while the affected hand has its own agenda. 

This syndrome may occur in individuals who have damage to the corpus callosum, which connects the two cerebral hemispheres of the brain. Other causes include stroke and damage to the parietal lobe. The hands then appear to be in “intermanual conflict” or “ideomotor apraxia,” meaning they act in opposition to one another.

(10) CAPGRAS SYNDROME

This syndrome is named for Joseph Capgras, a French psychiatrist who explored the illusion of doubles. Those with Capgras syndrome hold the delusional belief that someone in their life, usually a spouse, close friend, or family member, has been replaced by an impostor. It can occur in patients with schizophrenia, dementia, or epilepsy and after traumatic brain injury. Treatment approaches mirror those utilized for the underlying disorders and often include antipsychotic medication

Post a Comment

0 Comments

Ad Code

Responsive Advertisement