The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) states that approximately one in five adults in the United States experiences a mental illness each year. There are 5 main categories of mental illnesses: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia and psychotic disorders, dementia, and eating disorders. Most people are familiar with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, depression, schizophrenia and more, but there are several illnesses that aren’t discussed as often. See if you can recognize any of the following rare mental disorders:
- Apotemnophilia. Also known as body integrity identity disorder, a person with this illness has an overwhelming desire to amputate healthy parts of the body. With this disorder, a person may try to amputate their own limbs or try to damage their limbs to that surgical removal is necessary.
- Alien hand syndrome. This mental disorder is characterized by the belief that one’s hand does not belong to the person, but has a life of its own. According to Neurology Times, alien hand syndrome involves more than just a lack of control over the hand, but also the hand may move without cognitive awareness or control.
- Capgras syndrome. This involves the belief that an imposter has replaced one or more of the people an individual knows. Psychology Today references a cross-examination scene in the movie JFK where the lawyer asks the witness why they take their daughter’s fingerprint each time before and returning from college. In the movie, the witness replies, “Because I want to make sure the daughter I get back is the same daughter I sent off to college.”
- Alice in Wonderland syndrome. With this, a person’s sense of time, space, and/or body image is distorted. A 2014 study from researchers in Germany claimed that individuals may incorrectly perceive the size of their body parts, or they may perceive time as passing extremely slow or too quickly.
- Fregoli delusion. This is the belief that different people are in fact the same person. For example, an individual who recently broke up with their partner may perceive many other people on their Facebook to secretly be their partner and may thus be obsessed with or trying to stalk them.
If you are seeking exceptional treatment for a mental disorder, call us today at 888-958-7511. Avalon Malibu is a world-renowned mental health and addiction recovery treatment center located in California. We believe in holistic treatment, meaning that we will work with you to rebalance and restore your mind, body, and spirit. Call us today for a consultation.
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