Post 12: Dorian Gray Syndrome

  Reading has been a habit of mine, on par with drawing and surfing the internet. And one of the things I've read is called The Picture of Dorian Gray, a novel that tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the muse of an artist named Basil Hallward, who is entranced by Dorian's beauty and becomes infatuated with him. Dorian then meets a friend of Basil's named Lord Henry Wotton, a hedonist, who suggests that the only things worth in life is beauty and fulfillment in the senses.

  Realizing that his beauty will fade away someday, Dorian expresses his desire that his painting should age in his place, even selling his soul for that. His wish is fulfilled, and he then pursues a life of sensuality and debauchery.


  And like the narcissistic Dorian Gray, the main focus of those with Dorian Gray syndrome is their beauty, and have been said to have turned into heavy users of cosmetic products and surgery in an effort to preserve their beauty and youth. Like the famous Narcissus, these people are obsessed with their beauty, to the point of madness.

  In an article by Andrea Zanin titled "Dorian Gray Syndrome", explains how narcissism runs rampant in modren society, and how this leads wo insecurities and to things such as this syndrome.

"Self-loathing ignites the desire for perfection and this, in turn, results in narcissism. Yet there is a distinction between the narcissism associated with DGS and the self-respect which denotes a healthy self-love. The ability to love oneself is a sign of self-respect as well as the admission that life is precious, and it is necessary in order to love others. If one is void of love, “blank” like Madame Zhou, how can one love another?"

  Loving oneself has been an issue to people, even now. It's something we can relate to. And as the quote said above, how can we love another if we can't even love ourselves? In our harsh society, it's hard to even feel comfortable in our skin with people judging you, and as such, it's more of an admirable trait to those who feel so.

Post 11: Cotard's Delusion

In 1880, a woman visited a French neurologist named Jules Cotard, wherein she said to have 'no brain, no nerves, no chest, no stomach, no intestines'. The woman, dubbed Mademoiselle X by Cotard in his notes, claimed that she was nothing more than a decomposing that believed neither God nor Satan existed. She also stated that, since she could not die a natural death, she had no need to eat. Mademoiselle X died of starvation later on.  

This phenomenon is then eventually known as Cotard's delusion where those inflicted have a belief that they are, in fact, dead, lack certain parts or, in severe cases, believe that they have attained immortality. Most sufferers have nihilistic points of view. As this is a very rare disease, there is still a lack of information regarding the subject. I found an article by an unknown author that stated that despite the fact that Cotard's case is well-known, there was also a case a hundred years prior to his that involved a woman that had a stroke and passed out. After waking up, the woman demanded she be placed in a coffin as she was dead. Although the woman had recovered from her delusions, these sadly came back every three months. The cause of this disease is, sadly, still not known.

In article by Melissa Barett, called Real Life Zombies: Three Fascinating Cases of Cotard's Syndrome, shows three particular examples of the disease

Despite the technological advancements of humanity, this case still shows how much we have still to discover many things about our own brain. I hope to see experts explore the subjet and find the source of this outstanding case.

Post 10: The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine

  In all my research about culture-bound syndrome and diseases in general, I've come across a lot of weird symptoms and cases like the Foreign Accent Syndrome. And while it's not exactly the most odd disease out there, the Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is seriously the strangest name I have ever heard for a disease. I expected something long and complicated (like Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis) as typical for a scientific name, or at least something that sounds complicated.

  Anyway, the Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is a culture-bound syndrome found, if you still haven't noticed, in Maine after a particular incident where French-Canadian lumberjacks who have entailed an exaggerated "startle" reflex, an uncontrollable "jump" to those who have seen it . This is not the only symptom that they have displayed as they are also said to be prone to yelling, hitting, obeying any random orders, copy other people's movements or back phrases (this is something called echophraxia and echolalia, respectively). The lumberjacks are also said to be rather shy.

   So what exactly is the source of this disorder? According to an article by Alasdair Winkins, entitled "The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is history's most startling mental disorder",

"This particular instance may have had some genetic component, considering most of the sufferers were closely related and came from one of four families, but that may just speak to the insular nature of the French-Canadian lumberjack community in 19th century Maine."

 But this is still not an exact source of the phenomenon, and researchers are still exploring the possibilities as to how it occurred. One part of the article shows an anecdote from a neurologist named George Miller Beard, who had set out to explore the disease, putting well-researched and fascinating anecdotes about his research, and is said to be similar to an even stranger disease in Siberia called miryachit. To quote:

"Thus, when the captain slapped the paddle-box suddenly, he seemed compelled against his will to imitate it instantly, and with remarkable accuracy. To annoy him, some of the passengers imitated pigs grunting, or called out absurd names ; others clapped their hands and shouted, jumped, or threw their hats on the deck suddenly, and the poor steward, suddenly startled, would echo them all precisely, and sometimes several consecutively."

In that quote, the sad truth about the disease shows, despite the weird name it has. It would be all too common for people, especially those who are of ignorant nature, to mock or to taunt people with this types of disease without knowing that those inflicted are forced to imitate everyone around them no matter how much they don't want to.

Post 9: Hikikomori

  There are some situations where you mess up quite badly to the point that you just want to hide yourself away from the rest of the world. Other times, people are so stressed out about their problems that they just wan't to break away from real life, and live a solitary life.

 In Japan, there is such phenomenon prevalent even today, and it's called hikikomori. The term hikikomori means "pulling inward" or "withdrawal". This is a culture-bound syndrome wherein the person shuts himself within their own rooms in a period longer than six months and isolates themselves from society. There a lot of factors that contribute to their behavior. Some were bullied and were unhappy with their school life, other could not take the pressure of finding a proper job, or at least struggle to fit in the economic flow. The Japanese school system is said to be strict with youths, and putting in a pass-or-fail ideology which induces a high level of stress.

According to an article by Micheal Grisafe, entitled "Can Culture Create Mental Disease? The Rise of “Hikikomori” in the Wake of Economic Downturn in Japan" that hikkikomori is not an act of rebellion due to the ideology, but an act of opposing the core values of Japanese work and social ethic.

"This topic has grown increasingly urgent in Japan as the so-called “first-generation” of hikikomori who have been living with their parents for the past 20 years approaches 40. Many worry not only for the fate of these aging hikikomori, but the social and economic consequences for Japan as the hikikomori’s parents retire and pass away. As their parents die off, Japan may be faced with the very real problem of integrating a large population of socially disengaged and unskilled individuals into society."

The phenomenon is growing ever so slowly, but this is something that should be given immediate action. If society don't take a step in helping these people that have cracked under pressure, then it will certainly affect the country in the near future.

Post 8: Taijin Kyofusho

 There are many instances where people are anxious about social functions and events such as speeches, reports, presentations, and many more. It's normal to feel nervous speaking to a lot of people, and feel the pressure with their eyes on you. I had a lot of experience with this one. We had a presentation for our Research writing, and I was called on in front. Of course, I didn't expect it, but I tried to act normal, but to be honest, I was already shaking from both the cold and from anxiety.

 If you think my nervousness was bad, just you wait until you see something called Taijin Kyofusho. In Japan, this is a social phobia wherein the individual shows fear of social events which may cause embarrassment for them. It's a culture-specific syndrome that's unique in Eastern society. In Western societies, this disease is mostly foreign, and unheard of. According to an article by Dustin Saunders, entitled "Taijin Kyofusho: A Culture-Bound Syndrome", the individual with Taijin Kyofusho fears embarrassing the peers they are with, not themselves. They fear that their appearance and behaviors may offend other people, thus causing them extreme distress.

"As a result of these feelings, they also experience persistent suffering in the form of emotional distress through shame, embarrassment, anxiety, fear, and other tense feelings when confronted with social circumstances. In addition, individuals also worry about being unable to maintain healthy relationships with others. "

 Due to their anxieties, there were some who tend to isolate themselves from the outside world and lock themselves up in their own homes. In Japan, a survey result showed that most of the sufferers of this anxiety disorder are male, despite the females scoring higher on the social phobia scale.

 Fear is a heavy emotion that makes us stop taking risks because of the possible negative outcome. But as a line I heard before, it's more shameful for us to not stand up and try again after failing.