This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.
The following 60 pages are in this category, out of 60 total, this list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).
1. Anorexia mirabilis – Anorexia mirabilis literally means miraculous lack of appetite. It refers almost exclusively to women and girls of the Middle Ages who would themselves, sometimes to the point of death. The phenomenon is known by the name inedia prodigiosa. Anorexia mirabilis has in many ways, both similarities to and clear distinctions from the modern, well-known anorexia nervosa. In anorexia nervosa, people usually starve themselves to attain a level of thinness and it was largely a practice of Catholic women, who were often known as miraculous maids. The investigation of anorexia nervosa in the 20th century has focused on the psychological, physiological, for Caroline Walker Bynum, anorexia mirabilis, rather than misdiagnosed anorexia, was a legitimate form of self-expression with motives set in contrast to the modern disease paradigm. She considers cases such as that of Julian of Norwich and other Christian anchorites, if a young woman were to make the decision to self-starve as a means to communicate with Christ, healthcare professionals would code her as anorexia nervosa regardless of her motives. Whether or not there is continuity between anorexia mirabilis and anorexia nervosa is a subject of debate with both medieval historiographers and the psychiatric community. Many women notoriously refused all food except for the holy Eucharist, signifying not only their devotion to God and Jesus, but also demonstrating, to them, the separation of body and spirit. That the body could exist for extended periods without nourishment gave people of the time a picture of how much stronger, and therefore how much more important. It mattered not in popular opinion that the periods of female fasting were impossibly long. Both Angela of Foligno and Catherine of Siena were reportedly anorexia mirabilis sufferers and they both refused food, but drank the pus from the sores of the sick. Angela of Foligno is reported to have said it was as sweet as the Eucharist, in the time of Catherine of Siena, celibacy and fasting were held in high regard. Ritualistic fasting was both a means to avoid gluttony, and also atone for past sins, Catherine initially fasted as a teenager in protest against her proposed marriage to her late sister Bonaventuras husband. Bonaventura herself had taught this technique to Catherine, refusing to eat until her husband showed better manners, Fasting then was a means of exercising some control, taking power back for the individual and as such it is similar to one of the underlying factors in anorexia nervousa today. Also, women could gain freedom and respect remaining virgins than they would becoming wives. Catherine managed to pursue her interests in theology and papal politics, opportunities less likely available to a wife and she purportedly lived for long intervals on practically no food save the Eucharist, leading to an untimely death at thirty-three years from starvation and emaciation. Any additional food she was forced to eat she would expunge with a twig or small branch pushed down her throat, columba did eventually starve herself to death
2. Brain fag syndrome – Brain fag syndrome was described by RH Prince in 1960. It is caused by external pressure to be successful among the young. BFS is classified in the revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a culture-bound syndrome. Anumonye reported treatment success with lorazepam, others found benefit with antidepressants, BFS has been reported in other African cultures, and also in Brazil, Argentina, and Ethiopian Jews. Historic higher reported prevalence among males may be due to more males being present in education in African countries. Studies since the 1990s have not verified gender differences, other studies found a possible association with low socioeconomic status, an association with average or higher intelligence, and a high association with neuroticism. Individuals with BFS have been found to have problems with isolation, poor study habits, Prince named the condition based on the term brain fag used by students who believed their symptoms were attributed to brain fatigue. However, this term was used in the United States and Europe dating back to 1839
3. Dorian Gray syndrome – In order to resist the physical corruptions of time and nature, and unable and unwilling to mature, Dorian Gray gives his soul away, and his wish is granted. The personal character of the man Dorian Gray is the background for the description of the Dorian Gray syndrome that afflicts the patient. The Dorian Gray syndrome arises from the concurring and overlapping clinical concepts of the personality, dysmorphophobia. The article Das Dorian Gray syndrom reported that approximately 3.0 per cent of the population of Germany present features of the Dorian Gray syndrome. In extreme cases of DGS, the man seeks self-destruction, by either of drugs or with plastic surgery. In sport, the Dorian Gray syndrome is applied to ageing baseball players who retain their competitive edge with drugs that are illegal in professional sport. In architecture, the Dorian Gray syndrome is applied to the rehabilitation of a building to a pristine condition greater than when the building was new, body modification Fountain of Youth Peter Pan syndrome Brosig B. The Dorian Gray Syndrome and other fountains of youth, paper presented at the Continuous Medical Education Board of the Landesärztekammer Hessen, Clinical Pharmacology Section, on 29. Brosig B, Kupfer J, Niemeier V, Gieler U, the Dorian Gray Syndrome, psychodynamic need for hair growth restorers and other fountains of youth. Euler, S. Brähler, E. Gieler, U, euler, S. Brähler, E. Brosig, B. Das Dorian-Gray-Syndrom als „ethnische Störung“ der Spätmoderne
4. Jerusalem syndrome – It is not endemic to one single religion or denomination but has affected Jews, Christians and Muslims of many different backgrounds. The psychosis is characterised by a religious theme and typically resolves to full recovery after a few weeks or after being removed from the area. The religious focus of Jerusalem syndrome distinguishes it from other phenomena, in a 2000 article in the British Journal of Psychiatry, Bar-El et al. claim to have identified and described a specific syndrome which emerges in tourists with no previous psychiatric history. However, this claim has been disputed by M. Kalian, Kalian and Witztum stressed that nearly all of the tourists who demonstrated the described behaviours were mentally ill prior to their arrival in Jerusalem. Jerusalem syndrome is not listed or mentioned in the DSM nor in the ICD, Jerusalem syndrome has previously been regarded as a form of hysteria, referred to as Jerusalem squabble poison, or fièvre Jerusalemmiene. It was first clinically described in the 1930s by Jerusalem psychiatrist Heinz Herman and it is known that cases of the syndrome had already been observed during the Middle Ages, since it was described in the itinerary of Felix Fabri and the biography of Margery Kempe. Other cases were described in the vast literature of visitors to Jerusalem during the 19th century, despite a slight increase in tourist hospitalisations with the rise in total tourism to Jerusalem during the year 2000, the feared epidemic of Jerusalem syndrome never materialised. Jerusalem syndrome imposed on a psychotic illness. This refers to individuals already diagnosed as having an illness before their visit to Jerusalem. They have typically gone to the city because of the influence of religious ideas, for example, an affected person may believe himself to be an important historical religious figure or may be influenced by important religious ideas or concepts. Jerusalem syndrome superimposed on and complicated by idiosyncratic ideas, Jerusalem syndrome as a discrete form, uncompounded by previous mental illness. This describes the type, whereby a previously mentally balanced person becomes psychotic after arriving in Jerusalem. The psychosis is characterised by a religious character and typically resolves to full recovery after a few weeks or after being removed from the locality. Declaration of the desire to split away from the group or the family, if unattended, these stages are usually unavoidable. A need to be clean and pure, obsession with taking baths and showers, preparation, often with the aid of hotel bed-linen, of a long, ankle-length, toga-like gown, which is always white. The need to shout psalms or verses from the Bible, or to sing hymns or spirituals loudly, manifestations of this type serve as a warning to hotel personnel and tourist guides, who should then attempt to have the tourist taken for professional treatment. Failing this, the two last stages will develop, a procession or march to one of Jerusalems holy places, ex, The Western Wall. Delivery of a sermon in a holy place, the sermon is typically based on a plea to humankind to adopt a more wholesome, moral, simple way of life
5. Paris syndrome – Similar syndromes include Jerusalem syndrome and Stendhal syndrome. The condition is commonly viewed as a form of culture shock. It is particularly noted among Japanese travelers, professor Hiroaki Ota, a Japanese psychiatrist working in France, is credited as the first person to diagnose the condition in 1986. Japanese visitors are observed to be especially susceptible and it was first noted in Nervure, the French journal of psychiatry in 2004. As of 2004 the Japanese embassy runs a 24-hour help line to assist Japanese tourists suffering from this condition, the embassy also reported that at this time on average twelve people suffered from the disorder annually. The authors of an article in the 2004 French psychiatry journal Nervure, cite the following as contributory factors for Japanese people, Language barrier – few Japanese speak French and this is believed to be the principal cause and is thought to engender the remainder. Cultural difference – the large difference between not only the languages but the manner, the French can communicate on an informal level in comparison to the rigidly formal Japanese culture, which proves too great a difficulty for some Japanese visitors. It is thought that it is the rapid and frequent fluctuations in mood, tense and attitude, especially in the delivery of humour, which cause the most difficulty. Idealized image of Paris – Paris Syndrome may be caused by an inability to reconcile the Japanese popular image of Paris with the reality of Paris. The Japanese often picture Paris as a land of dreams, the land of beauty, culture, however, they soon find out the contrary when they visit Paris for the first time. They find it to be a regular place, the facilities are disorganized, many areas are unclean. Jerusalem syndrome Mean world syndrome Psychosis Multiculturalism Japanese community of Paris Notes References Viala, A. H. Ota, les Japonais en voyage pathologique à Paris, un modèle original de prise en charge transculturelle. Paris Syndrome, a 2010 short documentary
6. Pro-ana – Pro-ana refers to the promotion of behaviors related to the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. It is often referred to simply as ana, the lesser-used term pro-mia refers likewise to bulimia nervosa and is sometimes used interchangeably with pro-ana. Pro-ana organizations differ widely in their stances, most claim that they exist mainly as a non-judgemental environment for anorexics, a place to turn to, to discuss their illness, and to support those who choose to enter recovery. Others deny anorexia nervosa is an illness and claim instead that it is a lifestyle choice that should be respected by doctors. The scientific community recognises anorexia nervosa as a serious illness, some research suggests anorexia nervosa has the highest rate of mortality of any psychological disorder. Medical professionals treating eating disorders have long noted that patients in recovery programs often symptom pool, banding together for emotional support. In this context, people with anorexia may collectively normalize their condition, defending it not as an illness but as an accomplishment of self-control, starving oneself becomes a lifestyle choice rather than an illness. These groups are small, vulnerable, partly hidden and characterized by frequent migrations. They also have a female readership and are frequently the only means of support available to socially isolated anorexics. Members of such groups may, Endorse anorexia and/or bulimia as desirable. Share crash dieting techniques and recipes, coach each other on using socially acceptable pretexts for refusing food, such as veganism. Compete with each other at losing weight, or fast together in displays of solidarity, commiserate with one another after breaking fast or binging. Advise on how to best induce vomiting, and on using laxatives, give tips on hiding weight loss from parents and doctors. Share information on reducing the side-effects of anorexia, post their weight, body measurements, details of their dietary regimen or pictures of themselves to solicit acceptance and affirmation. Suggest ways to ignore or suppress hunger pangs, many have popular blogs and forums on which members seek companionship by posting about their daily lives or boasting about personal accomplishments of weight loss. The communities centred on such sites can be warmly welcoming or sometimes cliquish, casual dieters who join, believing that inducing eating disorders will cause them to lose weight more effectively. Such people are often referred to as wannabes or wannarexics. Pro-ana sites often feature thinspiration, images or video montages of slim women, often celebrities, pro-ana bloggers, forum members and social networking groups likewise post thinspiration to motivate one another toward further weight loss
7. Scrupulosity – Scrupulosity is characterized by pathological guilt about moral or religious issues. It is personally distressing, objectively dysfunctional, and often accompanied by significant impairment in social functioning and it is typically conceptualized as a moral or religious form of obsessive–compulsive disorder, although this categorization is empirically disputable. The term is derived from the Latin scrupulum, a sharp stone, scrupulosity was formerly called scruples in religious contexts, but the word scruples now commonly refers to a troubling of the conscience rather than to the disorder. As a personality trait, scrupulosity is a diagnostic criterion for obsessive–compulsive personality disorder. It is sometimes called scrupulousness, but that word properly applies to the trait of having scruples. This use of the dates to the 12th century. Several historical and religious figures suffered from doubts of sin, ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, wrote After I have trodden upon a cross formed by two straws. There comes to me from without a thought that I have sinned and this is probably a scruple and temptation suggested by the enemy. Alphonsus Liguori, the Redemptorists founder, wrote of it as groundless fear of sinning that arises from erroneous ideas. Martin Luther also suffered from obsessive doubts, in his mind, his omitting the word enim during the Eucharist was as horrible as laziness, divorce, Loyola, Liguori, the French confessor R. P. Starting in the 20th century, individuals with scrupulosity in the U. S. and Britain increasingly began looking to psychiatrists, rather than to religious advisors, for help with the condition. In scrupulosity, a persons obsessions focus on moral or religious fears, although it can affect nonreligious people, it is usually related to religious beliefs. Treatment is similar to that for other forms of obsessive–compulsive disorder, exposure and response prevention, a form of behavior therapy, is widely used for OCD in general and may be promising for scrupulosity in particular. ERP is based on the idea that deliberate repeated exposure to obsessional stimuli lessens anxiety, for example, with ERP a person obsessed by blasphemous thoughts while reading the Bible would practice reading the Bible. However, ERP is considerably harder to implement than with other disorders, because scrupulosity often involves spiritual issues that are not specific situations, for example, ERP is not appropriate for a man obsessed by feelings that God has rejected and is punishing him. Cognitive therapy may be appropriate when ERP is not feasible, religious counseling may be an additional way to readjust beliefs associated with the disorder, though it may also stimulate greater anxiety. Little evidence is available on the use of medications to treat scrupulosity, the prevalence of scrupulosity is speculative. Available data suggest that the prevalence of obsessive–compulsive disorder does not differ by culture, no association between OCD and depth of religious beliefs has been demonstrated, although data are scarce
