Alien Hand Syndrome

    Also known as Dr. Strangelove Syndrome, Alien Hand Syndrome (AHS) is a mental disorder in which a person loses control of his or her hand. A person with this condition can feel sensation normally, but has no control of it or knowledge of its actions; it is like the hand is possessed by an alien.

    Actions of the hand can range anywhere from touching one’s face, to punching or choking the sufferer. The results of these actions are viewed less of a medical threat and more of a nuisance/embarrassment for the sufferer.

    Alien Hand Syndrome has come up only after a stroke or infection of the brain. That being said, different brain injuries cause different types of this disorder. For example, a brain injury to the left side of the brain might result in questionable circumstances in the right hand. An injury to the frontal lobe might trigger grasping and similar movements in the dominant hand. Like all things involving the human body, it varies from person to person.

    As of late, there is no known treatment for Alien Hand. The best way to control the problem is to keep said hand busy doing other tasks. Because of the extreme rarity of this disorder (40 to 50 recorded cases since 1909), research has not been exactly abundant. That is why there is such a lack of information and treatment.

Genital Retraction Syndrome

    Genital Retraction Syndrome describes a person that is overcome the fear that his or her external sexual organs are shrinking, retracting into the body to the point of complete disappearance, and/or removed. This includes men feeling that his penis is retracting/disappearing, and women feeling like her breasts are getting retracting/disappearing. Although it has been seen in females, it is far more typically found in males.


    Another peculiar thing about this condition is its ability to spread within a population. For this to happen, groups of men/women will begin to believe that his or her genitals are shrinking or completely gone. The members of the group will inevitably start to talk with each other about it and, before you know it, everyone thinks they have Genital Retraction Syndrome.



   
 The causes of this syndrome are believed to be food poisoning, excessive masturbation, sexual intercourse with a prostitute, and witchcraft. It is appropriate now to state that the disorder is most common in places like China and Asia, where there is a lack of medical information.


    Western psychologists claim that Genital Retraction Syndrome is related to the stress that comes with sexual anxiety. As most of us already know, [cold weather and] emotional anxiety may cause the genitals to shrink, thereby “confirming” the presence of this disorder.


    That being said, there has been no scientific evidence to support the existence of this syndrome. While many victims have brought harm to themselves in an attempt to reverse the syndrome’s effects (i.e. elongating his or her genitals with the use of a clamp, weight, or something similar), the syndrome is considered to scientists to be fabricated.

Synesthesia

    Synethesia, meaning “joined perception,” is a neurologically-based phenomenon in which the stimulation of one sense (e.g. taste, sight, sound, touch, smell) causes the automatic and involuntary stimulation of another. The result of this is the vivid ability to taste shapes, see music, etc. People with this condition are referred to as synethetes.

    The most common form of synesthesia is the combination of color perception and letter/numbers. For example, a synethete might see the word “fun” as light blue or the number 7 as dark red. Other synesthetes hear sounds in response to smell, smells in response to touch, or sensation in response to sight. All combinations of the senses are possible.

    Like anything else, synesthetic perceptions differ from person to person. In other words, one synesthete may smell flowers when he or she sees a dog, while another may smell vomit at the sight of a dog.

    Estimates on the number of people that have this condition varies significantly; while one study found that 1 in 200 people have it, another found that 1 in 100,000 have this disorder. However, some general characteristics of synesthetes have been agreed upon: Women in the U.S. are three times more likely than men to get this disorder; synesthetes are of normal intelligence level; they are more likely to be left-handed; and the trait of synesthesia is thought to be on the X-chromosome and runs in families.

    Some scientists and research reveals that synesthesia is the result of a cross-wiring in the brain. Their hypothesis is that, in the brains of synesthetes, neurons and synapses that are supposed to be connected to one sensory system are actually connected to another sensory system. It is unclear the exact meaning for this, but some researchers believe that, at birth, everyone has this cross-connection. In a normal circumstance, the connections would work themselves out as a person ages; with a synesthete, these crossed connections are retained. 

Windigo Psychosis

    Windigo Psychosis is a culture-specific disorder of Canada, defined by delusions that one is being transformed into a monster called a windigo, or wittigo. The windigo is a cannibalistic spirit from Algonquin mythology that has the ability to possess the bodies of humans.

    A sufferer of Windigo Psychosis has an insatiable craving for human flesh. The urge is so strong that the sufferer will crave human flesh, even when other foods are available for consumption. They start to see the people around them as being edible.

    This craving for flesh, however, is accompanied by the exaggerated fear of becoming a cannibal. So, as can be assumed, sufferers experience agitation, depression, and fears about the loss of control over these sadistic impulses. To be more specific, sufferers have a fear of becoming Windigo monsters. Windigo monsters are supernatural beings that eat human flesh.

   
    The disorder was first identified by the Northern Algonkian Aboriginals. It was first identified in the winter because families were isolated by snow for months at a time, and resulting in inadequate food supply. The symptoms of this disorder reflect this condition: poor appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Alongside this, the individual has the idea that he or she has turned into a Windigo monster. The extreme anxiety that inevitably comes with this disorder causes victims to sometimes attempt suicide to prevent transformation into the Windigo monster.

    There has been no evidence to suggest that Windigo Psychosis has a cure. In rare cases, treatment by religious healers and Western medicine has shown to be effective, but nothing has shown consistent results.