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Viktoriia Kurilenko
INTRODUCTION
Princess Alexandra of Bavaria was known to be very intelligent, but also somewhat eccentric. She devoted her whole life to literature and, despite that, she suffered from numerous psychological disorders. She was overly fixated on cleanness and would only wear white clothes. After she turned twenty-three, something weird started happening. Periodically, while she was making her way through the palace, she would walk through the doors sideways, moving very carefully so nothing would touch her. When someone asked her why she was doing that, she said that as a child, she swallowed a grand piano, made fully out of glass. Therefore, Alexandra was afraid it would shatter if she wasn’t walking slowly and carefully.
She was not the first one known for suffering from such a phenomenon and there is a name for this disease now - the glass delusion. It was most common during the Middle Ages in Europe, among the wealthier class, especially monarchs. One of the most famous people who suffered from this disease was King Charles VI of France, he would never allow people to touch him and always wore protective clothing that would stop him from “shattering”.
Psychological or mental disorders are a range of conditions that affect the way a person acts, sometimes changing them completely. While some of the mental illnesses are not dangerous and can be lived with if treated properly, there are some out of the range of the most common. This article will overview some of the most extraordinary ones.
Glass Delusion
This mental illness was described in the introduction and a few theories are suggesting what was actually the “glass delusion”. Some experts say it could’ve been a form of OCD or a disorder of melancholy. Some even think that could’ve even been one of the effects of the toxic ingredients commonly used in makeup and other everyday products in the past. Sadly, the doctors of that time were not able to recognize and treat such conditions and in the case of princess Alexandra, considered that a “hysteria”. Luckily, this particular disorder is no longer a case in the modern world and is now just a very interesting phenomenon to talk about that happened in our history.
Alice In Wonderland Syndrome
Alice in wonderland syndrome is not a very popular disorder, however, about 166 cases of such illness were described in literature identifying its symptoms. “Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) describes a set of symptoms with alteration of body image. Alteration of visual perception is found in that way that the sizes of body parts or sizes of external objects are perceived incorrectly.” (NCBI, 2014)
Symptoms and Causes:
Micropsia (in which objects appear smaller than normal), Teleopsia (in which objects appear further away than they actually are), Macropsia (in which objects appear larger than normal), Metamorphopsia (in which straight lines appear wavy, warped, or blank), Pelopsia (in which objects appear nearer than they actually are) are the main symptoms of AIW. (UPMC, 2016) Each of the symptoms is separate and happen for a small-time period. Also, these conditions are not always linked to the syndrome and can be signs of a completely different disease.
Head trauma, migraines, infection, brain tumors, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis are the causes of AWS according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Treatment:
There is no treatment for AWS right now, however, a way to help the patient is to try getting rid of the symptoms. This may or may not help, but as far as we know, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome occurs mostly in children and goes away over some time. (UPMC, 2016)
Boanthropy
Boanthropy is a psychological disorder in which the sufferer believes he or she is a cow or ox. Patients who suffer from this disorder can eat grass, crawl on their arms and legs, and overall copy the behavior of these animals. One of the most famous cases is described in the Book of Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar was suffering from it. According to the story, he was humbled by God and lived like an animal for 7 years.
Symptoms and Causes:
“In this condition, the patient appears to walk like a cow. They walk on the ground like a cow does by using their arms and legs. They stop talking like normal human beings and prefer mooing. They grab others’ attention by bellowing and bawling.” (MEDizzy, 2020)
It is still unknown what causes Boanthropy, but it is more likely to be linked to Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder. The reason for that is the person who struggles from these disorders, hallucinates a lot and it can cause them to believe they are not a human being.
Treatment:
Since the causes of this disorder are not clear yet, there is no concrete treatment for Boanthropy. Psychotherapy and psycho-pharmacotherapy are used to help an individual give up this state of delusion.
Kluver-Bucy Syndrome
“Kluver Bucy syndrome is a rare behavioral impairment characterized by inappropriate sexual behaviors and mouthing of objects.” (NIH and GARD). Both humans and animals might get this disorder. Changes in the temporal lobe are one of the most popular causes of Kluver Bucy syndrome in humans and it can result in the inability to recognize objects or memory disorders.
Symptoms and Causes:
The main signs of this mental disorder are diminished ability to visually recognize objects, loss of normal fear and anger responses, memory loss, distractibility, seizures, and dementia. Damage to the anterior temporal lobes of the brain is a widespread cause of Kluver Bucy syndrome.
Treatment:
The treatment includes drug therapy, but there is no cure for this mental illness. Kluver Bucy is not life-threatening and the symptoms can decline over some time.
Shared Psychosis (Folie à deux)
Shared psychotic disorder (Folie a deux) is an unusual mental disorder characterized by sharing a delusion among two or more people who are in a close relationship. In the bond, one person is suffering from hallucinations or any kind of mental disease, and the person who's close to them starts experiencing those things too while being absolutely healthy mentally.
Symptoms and Causes:
Psychosis refers to symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking and speech, and bizarre and inappropriate motor behavior (including catatonia) that indicate loss of contact with reality. The exact cause of the shared psychotic disorder is still unknown. However, certain risk factors associated with it include the length of a relationship, the longer and stronger the bond, the more likely this disorder to occur. (NCBI, 2020)
Treatment
The treatment includes the separation of the persons who are having a shared psychosis and psychotherapy for both of them. Therapy can help the person realize the delusions and get back to normal, healthy thinking. The treatment also is focused on helping with the distress caused by the disorder and the relationship that caused the Shared psychosis. The goal of psychotherapy is to boost the individual’s mental state and get their life back together. In case the symptoms don’t decline after the separation, medical treatment might be necessary. Doctors prescribe tranquilizers or sedatives to ease intense symptoms such as anxiety, extreme restlessness, or insomnia. (PMC and NCBI)
WORK CITED
“Am I a Cow?” MEDizzy Journal, 27 Feb. 2020, journal.medizzy.com/am-i-a-cow/.
“Klüver-Bucy Syndrome.” NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders), 8 May 2018,
“Klüver-Bucy Syndrome Information Page.” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Page.
Reviewed by Neurosurgery, October 25, 2016. “Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: Symptoms &
Treatment.” UPMC HealthBeat, 29 Aug. 2018, share.upmc.com/2016/10/alice-in-
wonderland-syndrome/.
Rosario, Universidad del. “Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS). A Reflection: Colombian
Journal of Anesthesiology.” LWW,
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Suresh Kumar, P N, et al. “Folie à Deux.” Indian Journal of Psychiatry, Med
know Publications, July 2005, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2919794/.
Tamminga, Carol, et al. “Shared Psychosis - Psychiatric Disorders.” Merck Manuals
Professional Edition, Merck Manuals, www.merckmanuals.com/professional/psychiatric-
disorders/schizophrenia-and-related-disorders/shared-psychosis.
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