Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (also known as AIWS or Todd's Syndrome) is a rare neurological condition that affects perception. People with this condition perceive objects as being larger or smaller than they actually are, or perceive themselves as being larger or smaller than they actually are. This condition is named after Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which the protagonist, Alice, experiences similar perceptual distortions.
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is /ˈælɪs ɪn ˈwʌndərlænd sɪnˈdroʊm/.
Etymology
The term "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome" was first coined by Dr. John Todd in 1955. Dr. Todd was a British psychiatrist who noticed that some of his patients experienced perceptual distortions similar to those described in Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The term "Todd's Syndrome" is also used to refer to this condition, in honor of Dr. Todd.
Related Terms
- Perception: The process by which information from the senses is interpreted and understood.
- Neurology: The branch of medicine that deals with the nervous system and its disorders.
- Psychiatry: The branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.
- Migraine: A type of headache characterized by severe pain, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines are often associated with Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.
Symptoms
People with Alice in Wonderland Syndrome may experience a variety of symptoms, including:
- Micropsia: Perceiving objects as being smaller than they actually are.
- Macropsia: Perceiving objects as being larger than they actually are.
- Teleopsia: Perceiving objects as being further away than they actually are.
- Pelopsia: Perceiving objects as being closer than they actually are.
- Dysmetropsia: Difficulty in perceiving the size of objects accurately.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. Treatment typically involves managing the underlying condition that is causing the perceptual distortions, such as migraines or epilepsy.
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