In this article you will find:
What is Alice in Wonderland Syndrome?
When was this syndrome first discovered?
Is there a cure for this syndrome?
Do you remember the “Alice in Wonderland” story that our mothers used to tell us before bed? Alice’s size was changing, sometimes she might get bigger and other times she would get smaller, but in the end she discovers that it was all a dream.
From children’s stories, we move to medicine. Have you ever heard of “Alice in Wonderland” syndrome? A rare syndrome, but it exists in reality and not a dream like the well-known story for children.
Continue reading with us to learn more about this strange syndrome.
It is a rare disease that causes temporary bouts of distorted perception and confusion, i n which the patient feels that he is bigger or smaller than he actually is, and he also feels that the surrounding objects such as furniture and others are shifting and becoming farther or closer than they actually are, try to imagine the things around you in different sizes and You will know how hard it is.
What is the cause of this syndrome? Is it related to vision problems?
This syndrome is absolutely not because of the eyes, and of course not a hallucination, but it happens because of the changes in how your mind perceives the environment around it and how your body looks, and affects different senses such as vision, touch, and hearing, and sometimes the patient loses the sense of time, and feels that it passes faster or slower than it is in reality, like the size of it and the size of what surrounds it.
Scientifically, the main cause of this syndrome has not been fully revealed, but doctors confirmed that it’s not related to the eyes, hallucinations, or mental or nervous illness.
But they believe that unusual electrical activity in the brain is causing abnormal blood flow to the parts of the brain which are responsible for processing and analyzing a patient’s environment and testing their visual perception.
Head trauma and self-inflicted headaches have each been linked to 6% of causes, but more than half of all cases have no known cause.
It may also be caused by stress, cough medicine, the use of hallucinogenic drugs,epilepsy, stroke, and a brain tumor.
Also, according to the “Consulto” website, if the patient has a genetic history of migraine, he may be likely to suffer from the syndrome.
When was this syndrome first discovered?
This phenomenon was discovered for the first time in the fifties of the last century, and it was also known as “Todd” syndrome because it was identified by the British psychiatrist “John Todd”, and because the symptoms of this syndrome are very similar to the story of Alice in Wonderland, we will now call it in its new name ‘’Alice In Wonderland” syndrome.
The symptoms that you will notice in patients with this syndrome are:
Noting that it might be different from person to person, but in general it is represented by:
- Migraines.
- Perceptual distortion, where the patient does not properly perceive what is around him.
- Distorting time, and you find that the order of events is wrong.
- Distortion of the voice, so he cannot perceive sounds and their sources.
- Loss of control over his limbs or loss of coordination between them.
According to the source, a study found that 33% of people with the syndrome suffer from infection. The medical website “Consulto” stated that it could be an early symptom of the “Epstein-Barr” virus, a virus whose symptoms are associated with fever, sore throat, and lymphadenitis. It also has an effect on the liver and spleen.
How is it detected?
The “Clinical Practice Neurology” website said that, on the basis of 169 studies, the causes of Alice in Wonderland syndrome have been divided into 8 main groups, and it can occur alongside neurological disorders that affect adults and the elderly, and it is advised to conduct auxiliary examinations, such as blood tests, electroencephalography, and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, to detect them more accurately.
Is there a cure for this syndrome?
According to the “everyday health” website, North Carolina neurologist Annette Grave said that this syndrome appears most often in children, due to the unwillingness of adults or adults to talk about symptoms for fear of being accused of hallucinations or madness.
Finally, what I want you to conclude here is that as long as the main cause of this syndrome is not known, it may be difficult to know the basic treatment for it, and it’s better to go to the specialist doctor when we feel any of the symptoms that we mentioned in order to reassure and protect ourselves, and we can take a rest until the symptoms that only last for minutes are gone.
And I remind you that you do not need to worry, this syndrome is not very common.
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