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WEIRD REAL-LIFE AILMENTS-
If you're a fan of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the Wall Street Journal has printed a special report on weird illnesses. In the movie, the title character suffers from a reverse-aging phenomenon invented by author F. SCOTT FITZGERALD. But there are a lot of real-life ailments that seem just as weird:
--Foreign Accent Syndrome: Those suffering this strange malady typically encounter a blow to the head or suffer a stroke. The trauma can lead to a damaged speech center in the brain --changing the speed, pitch, stress and pronunciation of words. Victims sound like they're speaking with a foreign accent --often of a country they've never even visited.
--Intermittent Explosive Disorder: You're familiar with road rage? It's kind of like that. As many as 1 in 14 people experience angry outbursts that are way out of proportion to the situations that set them off.
--Alien Hand Syndrome: Sufferers of this disorder lose conscious control of a limb. Doctors guess there's probably a lost connection between brain hemispheres. The "alien" hand will often try to hinder what the other hand is doing. For instance, it may unbutton a shirt the other hand is buttoning.
--Capgras Delusion: This is when someone is convinced a close friend or family member is an imposter. A related disorder -- Cotard's Delusion: causes sufferers to think they're dead, decaying or never even existed.
--Spasmodic Dysphonia: There have been reports of some people who are only able to speak in rhymes, whispers or a falsetto voice. About 30-thousand Americans live with this disorder.
--Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: Patients with this condition see objects --including their own body parts -- as smaller, larger, closer or more distant than they really are. The syndrome often accompanies migraines, epilepsy or brain tumors.
--Synesthesia: People who suffer from this disorder report being able to hear numbers or smell colors. Scientists think the condition is due to some cross-wiring in the brain.
--Jumping Frenchmen of Maine Disorder: When someone startles you, you may jump. Your muscles might tense up, your heart will pound, but it will only last a few seconds. People living with Jumping Frenchmen of Maine Disorder don't stop at just a few seconds or a little jump. Everything is greatly exaggerated and they can't help it.
--Stendhal Syndrome: If art makes you dizzy, you may have a good excuse. Maybe you suffer from this syndrome. People living with Stendhal experience a rapid heartbeat, dizziness and hallucinations when exposed to art.
--Paris Syndrome: Sort of like Stendhal Syndrome, but really only affects Japanese tourists. And instead of an art gallery, it's Paris. For some reason, Japanese tourists have a difficult time adjusting to Paris and it's considered a medical condition.
--Jerusalem Syndrome: Victims of this syndrome can't help but assume the persona of a Biblical character when visiting Jerusalem. They typically make strange pronouncements at a holy site. Sufferers seem to be agitated, become obsessed with purity and cleanliness, shout Bible verses, and deliver a confused sermon that often urges humankind to begin living morally.
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