Do you loathe the sound of people chewing? Perhaps you find it hard to throw things out, or find yourself a little overwhelmed by art? Not every psychological condition is obvious - and some are far more common than you might expect. Not convinced? Take a look at...
- Misophonia: Hell is Other People
- Diogenes & Noah Syndrome: Hoarding
- Hypervigilance: Seeing Danger Everywhere
- Stendhal and Jerusalem Syndrome: Location Specific Psychosis
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| Misophonia is very common... (congerdesign) |
Misophonia: Hell is Other People
Did you know that some people hate the noise of other people eating, so much so that they want to flee... or take a swing at the offending diner? Up to 20% of humans find the sound of chewing (or other trigger sounds like pen clicks) incredibly infuriating, thanks to a condition called misophonia.Misophonia seems to be linked to mirror neurons in the human brain. These neurons "fake" the actions of other people and put us in other people's shoes - if you saw someone rhythmically moving their mouth and jaw, you could mentally copy the motions, realize that they were chewing and conclude that they were eating!
Researchers have found a strong connection between the ventral pre-motor cortex (part of the brain that deals with mouth and face movement) and the auditory cortex that deals with sound. It's thought that this strong connection passes on sounds like chewing a bit too easily, causing the ventral pre-motor cortex to start "faking" when it doesn't need to.
The resulting and intrusive "forced-empathy" may be behind the anger or loathing felt by those in the grip of misophonia. One known trick for dealing with it is to mimic the actions that caused the triggering sound (i.e. pretending to eat something while someone is chewing loudly.)
Misophonia isn't limited to facial movements - finger tapping can do the same thing. In this case, researchers found misophonia sufferers had a strong link between parts of the brain controlling the fingers and the insular cortex - an area of the brain that deals with emotions like disgust!
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| Hoarding can get you killed... (Pexels) |
Diogenes & Noah Syndrome: Hoarding
The subject of several reality TV shows in recent years, hoarding is frequently (but not always) the result of another mental condition.
Hoarders can develop the condition alongside depression, schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder... or can develop it in isolation as hoarding disorder (especially if they grew up in a cluttered household or had few material possessions.) No matter the cause, the hoarder typically reacts... poorly to any suggestion or attempt to remove an object - often with the justification that they might need it or it makes (or may make) them happy.
Hoarding is not the same as collecting - and there a a few "tells" that can separate the two. For example, a collector will typically organize objects in an accessible manner and attempt to keep them in good condition. In contrast, a hoarder will simply pile their hoard in a disorganized fashion.
Two specific forms of hoarding that are Diogenes Syndrome and Noah Syndrome. Diogenes syndrome (named after the philosopher) is characterized by extreme personal neglect and the hoarding of items, all while denying that the piled up garbage is abnormal. Noah syndrome involves the hoarding of animals - like the stereotype of an elderly person with a run-down house full of semi-feral cats.
There's actually an interesting historical case of hoarding in New York. The Collyer brothers turned their home into a literal warren of collected items - and eventually met their fate when Langley Collyer was crushed by a debris-slide of old newspapers, leaving his blind brother Homer to starve in their self-made labyrinth.
Other less obvious forms of hoarding can include the retention of everything from containers (i.e. bags and boxes) to leaflets and junk mail or even electronic data - have you ever known someone who keeps ancient and worthless emails?
Though you're not likely to find a sabertooth lurking in the bushes in modern times, this eye for potential peril has remained - and it can become detrimental. People in a state of hypervigilance are constantly on the lookout for danger... which can lead to stress, anxiety or worse.
Other less obvious forms of hoarding can include the retention of everything from containers (i.e. bags and boxes) to leaflets and junk mail or even electronic data - have you ever known someone who keeps ancient and worthless emails?
Hypervigilance: Seeing Danger Everywhere
Do you know someone who always seems to see potential problems and risks, possibly to the point of jumping at shadows? Don't mock it - it's the remnant of an ancient survival instinct, one that kept people from being devoured by wild beasts in the days of old.Though you're not likely to find a sabertooth lurking in the bushes in modern times, this eye for potential peril has remained - and it can become detrimental. People in a state of hypervigilance are constantly on the lookout for danger... which can lead to stress, anxiety or worse.
To be fair, there's some debate as to whether hypervigilance leads to anxiety, or if anxiety causes hypervigilance. We do know that it can often be found in survivors of significant trauma or those with post-traumatic stress disorder. It can also occur in people experiencing schizophrenia or any anxiety-inducing mental health condition.
People with hypervigilance usually have an increased startle response (i.e. are more likely to jump after a loud noise) and are more likely to fixate on, overestimate and obsess over potential threats - even being in a crowd. The end result can resemble paranoia, but it's not based on delusions - instead, the hypervigilant simply overestimate the potential dangers in their environment!
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| Some places seem capable of causing mental illness. (neufal54) |
Stendhal and Jerusalem Syndrome: Location Specific Psychosis
Travelers to Jerusalem sometimes manifest a strange set of symptoms. Some people become obsessed with purity, cleaning themselves with constant baths and grooming. They might fashion simple white robes (often from hotel bedding) and take to the streets, singing and sermonizing. Others (typically acting on previous psychological issues) identify with a biblical character like Samson or sincerely believe that they will be the beneficiary of a healing miracle.Apparently around 100 tourists a year get the attention of the authorities, with around 40 of them needing hospitalization. Researchers have identified three loose subtypes amongst sufferers:
- Type I: Solo travelers with pre-existing mental health issues, may identify with a biblical character or expect some kind of miracle to occur
- Type II: Group or solo travelers with strange or delusional thoughts, usually not severe enough to need help
- Type III: Regular tourists without any history of mental illness, who split off from any group they are with to go and preach. They tend to "purify" themselves and don makeshift robes before making confused sermons in public venues. Curiously, this version of the syndrome tends to wear off in around a week!
Jerusalem isn't the only place with said to have a psychological effect - Florence possesses a local malady called Stendhal Syndrome. Those afflicted suffer a brief bout of psychosis, with dizziness, disorientation and in one case a full blown heart attack.
As to what causes these episodes... supposedly the culprit is art. The syndrome itself is named after the French author Stendhal, who was taken ill after seeing too much culture.... and though Florence is a city filled with art, there's no reason to believe that a similar syndrome couldn't occur elsewhere in the world!
As to what causes these episodes... supposedly the culprit is art. The syndrome itself is named after the French author Stendhal, who was taken ill after seeing too much culture.... and though Florence is a city filled with art, there's no reason to believe that a similar syndrome couldn't occur elsewhere in the world!
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