In the health world, there are quite a few common mental disorders that most people know about. Anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) are all relatively well known mental disorders that also happen to be quite common.
But did you know that many other mental disorders exist? Moreover, some of these uncommon mental disorders are actually quite, well, insane. If you don’t believe us, take a look at this list and see for yourself. Here are eight (of the many) mental disorders that sound too insane to be true. Let’s dive right in.
#10 – Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
Yes, you read that right. This mental disorder is a disorienting neuropsychological disorder that causes patients to experience visual hallucinations. Basically, the objects around them are distorted in shape, size, and closeness. Something rather small may appear big, and something big may appear small. Patients with this syndrome may also feel like certain parts of their bodies are shorter or taller than they really are.
#9 – Pathological Generosity Disorder
This one may be more fiction than fact because researchers have yet to find scientific reasoning. But as the story goes, a 49-year-old man in Brazil had a sudden personality change shortly after having a stroke. He started to spend his money generously on strangers that he met when out and about, buying them food, candy, soda, and whatever else, despite having considerable financial concerns.
#8 – Boanthropy
If you’ve ever watched those shows where people think they are an animal, this is one of those instances. Boanthropy is a delusional disorder that causes the person to believe that he or she is a cow and therefore acts like one. It typically starts with a dream, which then takes the sufferer’s mind and turns into a full-on state of delusion.
#7 – Clinical Lycanthropy
Mostly, when people refer to this disorder, they will refer to patients who believe that they can turn into wolves and werewolves. However, other sufferers of this unusual mental disorder, believe that they can turn into different kinds of animals.
This delusional belief is connected with altered states of mind that accompany psychosis. Patients also report: feeling like an animal, believing they can change into an animal and often act like an animal. Some sufferers have been found hiding in woodland and forests without clothes.
#6 – Huntington’s Disease
This is probably the only one on this list you’ve actually heard of. This fatal genetic disorder causes the sufferer’s mental and physical abilities to quickly deteriorate, especially in their prime adult years. To make matters worse, there’s no cure for this disease.
#5 – Pica
This one is a mental eating disorder. Caused by a deficiency in iron or some other mineral, it causes the person to crave things that otherwise make no sense to eat. Some examples of delectable foods for people suffering from pica include clay, chalk, paper, metal, glass, soil, sand, or feces.
#4 – Apotemnophilia
Apotemnophilia is a neurological, psychosexual disorder, in which a person is sexually aroused by the idea, or the desire, of being an amputee. These people are otherwise rational and sane, but they have a strong desire to amputate a healthy limb or limbs.
Acrotomophilia, on the other hand, is an erotic interest in people who are amputees.
#3 – Autophagia
Turns out there are people who have a tendency to eat themselves. Called autophagia, sufferers feel an inexplicable desire or arousal to eat part of their body, typically by biting chewing on a certain body part. Even though they feel pain, they may feel gratification or pleasure from doing this. For example, one man started a compulsion of biting his own nails. Eventually, he had severely mutilated his fingers.
#2 – Multiple Personality Disorder
If you’ve ever watched the movie Split, then you have a general idea of what this disorder is about. No, it doesn’t cause a person to turn into “the beast”, but Multiple Personality Disorder does indeed cause the sufferer to have very distinct personalities. For example, the sufferer can gain or lose an allergy, turn diabetes and other conditions on or off, and even go from being drunk to sober as they switch from personality to another. Wild.
#1 – Morgellons Disease
Ever felt like something was crawling on your skin? Well, there are people who suffer from feeling like something is crawling beneath their skin. Called Morgellons disease, this condition causes sufferers to delusionally think that something is under their skin and even see bugs coming out of their bodies. In response, they scratch themselves intensely, forming sores all over the area and tearing up the skin.
