Savyasaachi

Stendhal Syndrome – “shocked by beauty” It is a psychosomatic illness that can occur when an individual is exposed to a large amount of beautiful art in a short span of time. The symptoms one would experience include palpitations, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations.

Stockholm Syndrome – “Being kidnapped ain’t so bad after all” All through the last few decades, there have been reports of kidnap victims who, over time, become sympathetic and even loyal to their abductor. This also appears in wife-beating, child abuse and rape cases. The victim voluntarily complies.

Lima Syndrome – “When kidnappers get attached” It is pretty much the diametric opposite of the Stockholm Syndrome. The hostage-taker turns sympathetic and attached to the victims.

Alien-Hand Syndrome – “When your hand does what it wants.” It is a neurological disorder in which one of the sufferer’s hands seem to have a mind of its own. Having no control over ‘alien hands’, they can perform complex acts such as undoing buttons, removing clothing and manipulation of tools.

Foreign Accent Syndrome It is a widespread belief that foreign accents will immediately make you more attractive to the opposite sex. This syndrome is a rare condition following a head injury, trauma or stroke. This syndrome causes someone to speak their native language as if they had a foreign accent.

Cotard’s Syndrome aka “the Living Dead” Cotard’s syndrome makes a sufferer believe that he or she is dead, non-existent, putrefying or lost their blood/ internal organs. Rarely, it can include delusions of immortality.

Capgras Delusion This one is common in patients who suffer from Schizophrenia. Capgras Delusion is a disorder in which a person is convinced that (usually) a family member or spouse has been replaced by an identical-looking imposter.

Fish Odour Syndrome aka Trimethylaminuria It is a rare metabolic disorder that causes a defect in the normal production of a specific enzyme. Long story short, when the body can’t break down trimethylamine by digestion, the compound builds up and is released in the person’s sweat, urine and breath, giving off a strong, fishy, body odour.

Genital Retraction Syndrome aka Koro Syndrome In Malaysia, “Koro” stands for ‘head of the turtle’, possibly indicating the turtle’s innate ability to retract its head into its body. It is a pretty weird disorder where the patient has an illusion and belief that his penis will shrink and vanish into his abdomen.