7 mental disorders that can destroy us

No less known than the paintings by Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) are mental disorders, as a result of which he cut off his ear. The phases of calm, when painting was like therapy for him, were intertwined in van Gogh with attacks of erratic behavior. This led him to a suicide attempt which resulted in his death. «This patient, who was generally calm, experienced a series of violent attacks during his stay in the center, lasting from a week to a month. During these attacks he experienced terrible fears and anxieties, he tried to poison himself several times »wrote the doctor who was caring for him, Théophile Peyron. Later psychiatrists dealing with the artist’s case found him bipolar. His disease states were aggravated by a bad lifestyle, fatigue and alcohol. After a period of dormancy, there comes a manic phase which is exactly the opposite of it. People are bursting with energy, they are creative, socially disposed, they don’t need sleep. Vincent van Gogh was not the only artist to suffer from this disease. Next to him, there are names such as Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961), Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) and Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749–1832). Some described the manic phase as “one great, permanent revel”. The two phases of the disease alternate and it is impossible to predict when the change will occur. Symptoms of bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depressive psychosis, begin between the ages of 15 and 30. Scientists speculate that the disease is partly genetic because it often runs in families. For example, a stressful event or the use of drugs can be a factor that may accelerate or support the onset of the disease. The symptoms of the disease are most likely caused by an imbalance of chemical compounds, the so-called neurotransmitters in the brain. When their levels are too high, a manic state occurs. When there are too few of them, depression comes.

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was not only the most famous scientist in the world but, according to some, also one of the famous people with Asperger Syndrome. This syndrome, classified as an autistic disorder, often goes hand in hand with a brilliant personality, but the person affected has problems with communication and making contacts. Einstein was said to have been a loner as a child and repeated the same sentences over and over again. However, he was known for his excellent sense of humor, which is not found in people with severe Asperger’s Syndrome. Stronger forms of autism can already be diagnosed in infants aged 12–18 months. Parents, however, often do not notice them. They think they have a “polite child” because it is calm and does not require much attention. Still, some symptoms are fairly easy to spot. The baby is not making eye contact. He doesn’t smile. It is not eager to repeat our gestures or facial expressions.

It’s 1964. Rome. Mathematician John Nash stands in front of the monumental columns in the Roman Forum, a buzzing noise in his head. He hears voices that sound like different people’s phone calls. He is convinced that these are the voices of mathematicians who do not agree with the results of his work. He watches the people of Rome in telephone booths – it must be them. It seems to him that the voices on the phones are translated by some device into English and sent directly to his brain. Similar situations happen to him often. In one of his letters, Nash wrote: “There is a toxic chatter in my head, there are voices constantly arguing”. He happened to talk about world power in which he himself was to participate. When the University of Chicago offered him a prestigious position, he refused because he had plans to become the ruler of Antarctica. He surprised his friends who came to visit him in a psychiatric hospital with the question: “Do you know the secret password?” He still wondered if he was one of those who had to “sacrifice.” He also spoke to himself, asking questions such as: “What are we going to do with Hungary?” It is said that there is a fine line between genius and madness. In the case of mathematician John Nash, this is perfectly accurate. He worked at the best American universities, such as MIT and Princeton, and received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994 for his work. At the same time, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and he was sent to a psychiatric hospital more than once. He lived in constant fear of extinction – his own or a worldwide one. He felt constantly being persecuted, and again he thought he was in hell or purgatory. The story of his life was the basis of the film “Beautiful Mind”. There are several types of schizophrenia, the paranoid one being the most famous. One of the typical symptoms are hallucinations, which can be auditory (voices in the head informing or dictating something), but also pictorial or tactile. Hallucinations – misconceptions (for example, that the TV presenter only speaks to a sick person) also often appear. As much as 5 percent Schizophrenics end their lives by suicide, and many try to do so. Genetic and environmental factors are responsible for the onset of schizophrenia.

This disorder is also called antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy in English-speaking countries. Most people associate this concept with someone like Ted Bundy (1946–1989). This serial killer committed 70 homicides in the 30s. So many were proven to him, but it is possible that there were many more victims. At the same time, Bundy was very intelligent, had a nice exterior, and was well-liked. He was eventually sentenced to death for his actions. His lawyer Polly Nelson later wrote of him: “Ted was the embodiment of absolute evil.” Of course, not all dissocial people are murderers. This disorder occurs in 3 percent. men and 1 percent. women of the entire population, which means that anti-social personalities can also be found among politicians, priests and company managers. Much like Ted Bundy, these people can seem quite lovable and even charming at first glance. Inside, however, there is a cool and calculating character. They are ruthless in achieving their goals, have no remorse, no sense of guilt or simple empathy. They can lie without blinking an eye and manipulate the other person. One way of achieving the goal for them is violence. Scientists believe that this type of behavior stems from the structure of the brain, so psychopaths are formed in this way from birth. There are a number of publications that indicate that the brain of people with psychopathy not only works differently from that of healthy people, but also has a different structure. This applies, for example, to the parts of the brain that are responsible for emotions. Imagine looking at pictures of people’s faces undergoing electroshock or other painful procedures. In healthy people, such pictures will cause increased pressure or sweating of the hands. In patients with antisocial personality, neither of these reactions occur – they just feel nothing. They do not experience fear, they are not afraid of pain.

Famous actress Kim Basinger doesn’t look like someone who suffers from anxiety attacks at first glance. At one point in her career, however, she confessed: “Fear is something I have always lived with. I am afraid to be in public places because I may get panic attacks or panic attacks ». The actress suffers from anxiety disorders and agoraphobia, which often occur together. She panicked for the first time when she simply shopped in the store. She said that she suddenly became panic for no apparent reason, began to tremble, could not move. When she cooled down a bit, she drove home, which she did not come out of for the next six months. People suffering from panic attacks begin to treat every time they leave the house as a potential danger. They are especially afraid of situations and places where they feel they have no way to escape. They also avoid places where they previously experienced panic. They can make up many kilometers just to avoid the place they associate with an unpleasant experience. They live in constant fear, also fearing that someone will find out about their fears and find them insane. If they do not seek help, these conditions can worsen and last for a long time. There is disagreement among scientists as to what really causes anxiety attacks. Some specialists say that this is the result of an increased sensitivity to carbon dioxide. Experiments have shown that a panic attack can be triggered by inhaling air with a high CO2 content. This is how a panic attack was triggered in a woman whose amygdala in her brain was inactive and therefore unable to feel fear.

In the film by Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) «Dr. Strangelove »Peter Sellers plays the nuclear weapons expert and former Nazi Dr. Strangelove, who cannot control his right hand. She does what she wants – for example, she suddenly stands up in a gesture of a fascist salute. Few people know that such a disorder does exist under the name of alien hand syndrome. However, it is extremely rare. Only a few dozen cases of this type have been reported all over the world. Against their will, one hand begins to take things out of a purse, unbutton buttons or even insultingly expose a middle finger or beat. This has to do with the functioning of the brain’s hemispheres, which create their own consciousness, as if there were two personalities in the brain, although under normal circumstances only one person makes decisions. In people with the syndrome of foreign hand, each hemisphere has its own rules.

Imagine that you come home from work, and somebody lives there. He looks like our partner and is wearing his clothes, but it is definitely not him. There is an impression that someone has replaced our spouse with an identical twin. This is a typical symptom of Capgras syndrome, which is quite a rare condition. A completely healthy person begins to get the impression that some of his relatives have been changed into creatures that look the same. People with similar disorders are a good object of research for scientists because their behavior tells a lot about how our brain works. Interestingly, people with Capgras syndrome recognize their loved ones on the phone, but when faced with them, they consider them untrue. There is also a fairly extreme case of this disorder known, in which the patient was convinced that his father was a robot.