Do you know almost everything about bipolar disorder and depression, and can spot hypomania with just three notes? It’s time to explore these rare symptoms! We’ll explore the origins of worlds, Alice in Wonderland syndrome, delusional hermaphroditism, and other astonishing mental states.
1. The emergence of worlds
The emergence of worlds from objectless feelings is characteristic of the early stages of schizophrenia, occurs in cases of poisoning (for example, with opium), and is often recorded in the moments before an epileptic seizure. During schizophrenic personality transformation, patients “lose contact” with things, feeling “distant” and alien: “What is there in the world? I no longer belong to it.”
At the same time, people experience a feeling of crystal clarity—but it is meaningless, so they are unable to share their “discovery” with others.
The person believes they have grasped the deepest meanings: timelessness, peace, God, and death. But when this state passes, they can no longer reproduce or describe their experiences—they have suffered a sensory deception.
The number of people diagnosed with schizophrenia worldwide exceeds 21 million.
Here is how patients themselves describe their sensations:
“It dawned on me—I know everything; in these sublime hours, the secrets of the world were revealed to me.”
“I felt like I was seeing everything so clearly and distinctly, as if a new and unusual understanding had dawned on me.
I see something infinitely great, something that makes me tremble. I have personally experienced God; it is the culmination of my life.”
The phenomenon of the emergence of worlds can be observed in the film “Dragonfly” (2002). After the tragic death of his wife, the hero begins to be haunted by mysterious signs and frightening messages. He feels he knows something that others do not, and blindly believes his own feelings.
2. Fatal familial insomnia
Fatal familial insomnia is a dangerous and fatal disorder. It occurs after age 30, most often around age 50.
The sufferer is unable to sleep. Initially, they fall into short-lived nightmares, after which they awaken even more exhausted. Later, hallucinations accompany nocturnal panic attacks. Insomnia is dangerous—it can trigger psychotic states, and if it persists for a year, it can be fatal.
There is no cure. This type of insomnia is genetic, and approximately 40 families worldwide are known to have the corresponding genes. It is vividly depicted in the film “Insomnia” (2018), in which a theater troupe arrives to rehearse a play at a mental hospital and stops sleeping.
3. Presence Syndrome
The sense of presence syndrome (German: Anwesenheit) is also called “delusion of awareness” (according to A. V. Snezhnevsky).
This disorder is characterized by the sensation of a foreign entity in the immediate vicinity of the patient. Typically, such states occur in a lucid state, when the patient is alone at home or in another room, or less commonly in an open space. The patient senses the presence of an unfamiliar person or entity, resembling a ghost, but it cannot be seen or heard.
This syndrome is considered rare, although precise data on its prevalence are generally not provided.
Anwesenheit occurs not only in patients with schizophrenia but also in several other psychoses: temporal lobe epilepsy, reactive states after severe loss, intoxication, sleep deprivation, in mentally healthy individuals exposed to prolonged stress, and during therapy with ergot alkaloids (lisuride, pergolide).
Echoes of the presence syndrome can be found in fiction, for example, in Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost, and in cinema, in such films as Ghost (1990), Haunting (2007), and in the film The Others (2001), with its inverted plot, the spirits themselves suffer from this disorder.
4. Intermetamorphosis syndrome
In intermetamorphosis syndrome, a person is convinced that their mental essence and appearance have changed. Third parties may “force” the sufferer to undergo a complete physical and mental transformation, and there is always a system of proof of the transformation, while the disorder itself can last for years.
Intermetamorphosis syndrome, in its typical manifestations, is depicted in the film “Freaky Friday” and all other films about body swapping.
A related syndrome is delusional hermaphroditism, in which a person believes that, for example, an ex-girlfriend lives inside them, feeds on their food, drinks their juices, and converses with them.
The sufferer does not believe that they themselves have changed—physically or psychologically. It’s just that another female personality exists within their physical shell. Delusional androgyny is a popular theme in romantic comedies such as Love-Carrot (2007), where Gosha Kutsenko expressively portrays his inner woman, playing out a rich array of gender stereotypes.
5. Delusional parasitosis syndrome
Ekbom syndrome (also known as delusional parasitosis syndrome) is named after the Swedish neurologist who described it in 1937. In the specialized literature, it is erroneously referred to as “zoophobia,” “parasitophobia,” and “acarophobia,” and may also be referred to as “delusional parasitosis.” It should not be confused with Willis-Ekbom disease (restless legs syndrome) in neurology.
A person with this disorder is convinced they are infested with small, macroscopic skin parasites—worms, insects, and arthropods. Visual hallucinations and false memories are also possible. Patients provide detailed accounts of their “disease,” showing areas of “affected” skin.
People suffering from delusional parasitosis are convinced that their entire body is teeming with living organisms, insects, and various creatures. This disorder occurs in 30–60% of patients in dermatology clinics.
Ekbom syndrome is depicted in the comedy horror film “Slither.” One of the characters is infected by a vile alien creature, which plots a biological invasion. The parasites then crawl into the bodies of other earthlings and inhabit them, turning them into zombies. An entire genre of horror culture dedicated to the alien “other” seems to be inspired by this disorder.
6. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
Alice in Wonderland syndrome, named after Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland character, is characterized by an altered perception of one’s own body, which may appear extremely small or, conversely, gigantic, and sometimes disproportionate. For example, the torso may reach 100 meters, the legs extend to the center of the Earth, and the head becomes the size of an apple.
There are no data on the prevalence of the syndrome in the general population, although clinical studies indicate that this abnormality occurs in 15% of migraine sufferers. Approximately 70 articles have been published on Alice in Wonderland syndrome, half of which were published in the last 10 years. Only 169 cases are known: 55.6% of “Alices” were men, and the average age of patients was 15.5 years. According to some studies, up to 6% of people experience individual symptoms of this syndrome—micropsia and macropsia—during their lifetime.
40% of patients had one symptom of the disorder, 33% had 2, 10% had 3, and 17% had 4. It is also known that the presence of one symptom lowers the threshold for the occurrence of another.
7. Autosarcophagy
Autosarcophagia is a severe and dangerous disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to consume oneself, one’s own flesh.
The prevalence of autosarcophagia in humans has not been determined, but over 3,000 animal species cannibalize their own kind. In 2016, six cases of cannibalism were recorded in Russia.
The syndrome, in its most extreme and vivid manifestations, can be seen in the film “The One Who Wants to Survive,” based on a Stephen King story written in the diary of surgeon Richard Pine Pinzetti. While smuggling a large quantity of heroin, he was shipwrecked and washed up on a lonely, deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. He develops gangrene and amputates his foot, using the drug as a painkiller. Dying of starvation, Richard decides to eat the severed leg. He ends up using heroin and, using his surgical skills, gradually cuts off various parts of his body, diversifying his diet in this extravagant way.
8. Multiple personality disorder
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) causes a person to feel as if multiple personalities are living within their body.
People with this disorder suddenly assume the role of someone else—a mythical figure, an ancestor, a spirit, or even an animal. One person with DID suddenly began growling like a wild animal, punctuated by profuse vomiting.
In most cases, the sufferer is unable to recall what they did while in this “other persona.”
Vivid examples of this disorder can be seen in the films “Sybil,” “Exorcism,” “The Exorcist,” and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”—many of which, according to the creators, are even “based on true events.” In each film, the protagonist suddenly begins behaving extremely strangely—speaking in different languages ​​or crawling on the walls and ceiling. These individuals are usually terrified and beg for help; family and friends typically invite priests, who perform exorcisms.
Dissociative disorders affect between 0.5 and 5% of people, with women suffering from this syndrome three times more often than men.
9. Catatonic syndrome
Catatonic syndrome is a complex disorder characterized by agitation or stupor. In the former case, the person moves erratically, laughs, grimaces, and repeats gestures, facial expressions, and words of those around them. Their behavior is typically inconsistent, their speech is rapid and incoherent, and the patient often gives meaningless answers to questions. For example, if asked about their health, they might say, “The weather is nice today, the sun is shining, the birds are flying around…”
In stupor, the patient appears frozen in one position. For example, when a doctor lifts their head, it does not return to the pillow.
The person may not respond to requests addressed to them, despite being conscious. If the doctor asks them to perform a specific action, the patient performs the exact opposite. For example, if the doctor says, “Please lie down on the bed,” the patient sits up or stands up.
The prevalence of catatonic syndrome among psychiatric patients, according to various studies, ranges from 7.6% to 38%.
Stupor is depicted in the film “A Dangerous Method,” which chronicles the relationship between Freud, Jung, and Sabina Spielrein. The heroine’s mental disorder resulted from abuse and manifested itself as paralysis. Successful psychoanalyst Carl Jung cured Sabina, who suffered from hysteria, with a severe flogging.
10. Hebephrenic syndrome
Hebephrenic syndrome is characterized by silliness, unprovoked laughter, childishness, and infantilism, all of which are inappropriate for a given situation. One might suspect this diagnosis to be the beloved characters from “Dumb and Dumber”—Harry and Lloyd. Cases of hebephrenic syndrome account for 13% of cases in developed countries and 4% in developing countries.
