10 Weird and Mysterious Medical Syndromes #2

Stendhal Syndrome
Stendhal syndrome is the name given to a feeling of anxiety — dizziness, confusion, rapid heartbeat, even hallucinations and fainting — upon seeing beautiful works of art. The overwhelming sensation can come from the exceptional beauty of one particular piece of art or from the abundance of art in one location. The condition is most widely associated with the art of Florence, Italy, although it has been applied to similar reactions to overwhelming beauty of any type.

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Walking Corpse Syndrome
Sufferers of walking corpse syndrome, also known as the Cotard delusion, believe that they are dead, decaying or have lost body parts or internal organs. In some cases, victims believe that they don’t even exist. Like the Capgras delusion, walking corpse syndrome is typically the result of brain damage or mental illness.

Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is a form of the exaggerated startle reflex known as hyperexplexia, so named because it was first observed in French-Canadian lumberjacks in the Moosehead Lake region of Maine in 1878. Sufferers were reported to react abnormally to loud, sudden noises — screaming, flailing, muscle seizures and, most puzzlingly, obeying commands in a reflexive, involuntary manner. For instance, when instructed in a loud, authoritative voice to hit someone, they would do so without question. It’s believed to be a genetic condition caused by a blockage of an amino acid that calms the central nervous system.

Jerusalem Syndrome
Jerusalem syndrome is a form of religious mania resulting from, or leading to, a visit to the city of Jerusalem. Typically, a sufferer (of Christian or Jewish background) experiences a sudden religious fervor upon visiting the city, leading them to the belief that they are on a religiously significant mission and quite possibly that they are a specific biblical figure. People experiencing Jerusalem syndrome often end up dressing in a white robe and delivering a sermon at a religiously significant site in the city. Since 1980, there have been an average of close to 100 cases per year reported. It’s debatable whether or not sufferers had previous mental problems before visiting Jerusalem.

Spasmodic Dysphonia
Spasmodic dysphonia is a neurological disorder that causes involuntary movement of the larynx, causing muscle spasms that impair speech. Strangely, however, sufferers usually have no such hindrances when singing, whispering, laughing, speaking in a high pitch or even in rhymes. There is no known cure, although injections of Botox into the larynx have been shown to provide short-term relief.

Medical Students’ Syndrome
Medical students’ syndrome is a temporary, hypochondria-like mental condition that strikes medical students, causing them to believe that they are suffering from the diseases that they’re studying. By some reports, up to 80% of medical students experience it at some point as a result of studying such frightening diseases in such a highly suggestible environment.

Moebius Syndrome
Moebius syndrome is a neurological disorder that affects people from birth and is characterized by the inability of its sufferers to form facial expressions. People with Moebius syndrome are unable to move their facial muscles, meaning they can’t smile, frown, suck or even blink their eyes. They are also unable to move their eyes from side to side and have difficulty swallowing.

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Fish Odor Syndrome
Fish odor syndrome, or trimethylaminuria, is a disorder that causes the sufferer’s breath, sweat and urine to give off a strong fishy smell (not that breath, sweat or urine otherwise have great odors). It’s caused by the inability of the body to break down a specific, fish-odored compound in foods. There is no cure, but sufferers can control the symptoms by avoiding certain foods and taking antibiotics.

Synesthesia
People with synesthesia (“synesthetes”) associate a stimulus with one of the five senses not typically related to it. For instance, they may describe a certain sound as having a color. There are several different types of synesthesia, mixing sight, sound, taste and other sensory elements, and by some estimates, as much as 5% of the population has some level of incidence. It’s a harmless condition and is often genetic, although some people have reported experiencing it as a result of a stroke or loss of sight or hearing. Perhaps because of its sensory nature, synesthesia is frequently reported amongst artists and musicians.