Schizophrenia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD, Alzheimer’s and others. That is what is often on everyone’s mind when they think of mental illness. Although cinema and literature have romanticized certain disorders, the mind is too fragile and suffering from mental illness is not easy.
Sometimes people live with illnesses without knowing they have them, such as those of the stomach or liver, because there may be signs that we miss or are unaware of. That not only happens with the diseases mentioned above, but with others that you may not know or at least you did not know that it is a mental illness that can be decisive in your life.
strange hand syndrome
Imagine that you are asleep and a hand on your neck wakes you up. Terrified, your eyes cannot find who is suffocating you and although you think that your eyes getting used to the dark is the one that does not let you see anything, deep down you know that that hand is known. You try to take it off and discover that there is no one, it is your hand and it is you who is doing it.
Strange hand syndrome was discovered in the early 20th century and can be caused by head injuries, brain surgeries, infections, or aneurysms. Sometimes people feel touch in the hand, but feel that it is not their own hand that feels it, and sometimes the hand has involuntary movements, but it is not like a tic, these movements can be taking glasses , button shirts and more.
Erotomania
In the 18th and part of the 19th century, the hand fan was an obligatory garment for damsels, but it was more practical than many believe. Through the fan, they could communicate with each other or send messages to their suitors. Many would think that they were doing nothing more than smiling shyly with their fan in their face, but in reality they could be making a proposal.
Unlike those hidden messages, erotomania believes that someone, usually of a higher social rank, is in love with him. The disease makes that person believe that someone else is sending him hidden messages and signals that only he, by the power of love, can see.
Depending on the time it has been related to something. In the 18th century it was only an ailment due to unrequited love, at the end of that century it was considered a disease due to having too much sex, later it was a mental disorder due to unrequited love, and since the 20th century it has been considered a disorder in the that the person really believes that they are loved by someone else.
Adele syndrome
This mental illness is similar to erotomania, but while in the other the person is convinced that they are loved, Adele syndrome refers to someone who loves someone sickly even knowing that it is not reciprocated. The sick person may harass someone who does not reciprocate his feelings, rummage through her garbage or collect everything that unites him with the person he loves.
The disease, which already distorts part of the patient’s reality, can end their personal relationships, begin to suffer from paranoia and live in a fictional world in which perhaps the relationship did materialize.
Depression
Many people deny that depression can be a mental illness, but it really is a problem that does not arise from disappointment in love or life. Many times a poor diet, a blow to the head or other things can cause deep sadness that is impossible to remedy without professional help.
If you think you may suffer from depression, there is nothing to hide, it is best to ask for help and you will see that it is not something you have to learn to live with forever.
google effect
In 1998 there were 9,800 Google searches a day, today there are about 4.7 trillion searches a day. Our brain has been transformed by technology and today almost all of us may be victims of the Google effect. Our memory has changed and now we cannot retain basic concepts like before. Little by little our ability to retain information is being lost because we know that by asking our Smartphone we can find out.
Even the Google effect is remedyable, because it does not mean that we are becoming more stupid, but more dependent on technology. Exercising memory is a perfect way to stay healthy in the face of all mental illnesses, but each one has its causes, consequences and treatments. Never hesitate to seek help.