Alice in Wonderland
- Sanya Samant
- May 30, 2019
- 2 min read
Ever wonder what Alice really felt while falling down the rabbit hole ? A 24 year old can tell you exactly what she experienced. She says, quote, "Everything feels big or small and strangely out of proportion. I guess that's why the syndrome is called Alice in Wonderland Syndrome"
Another case of AWS is seen in a twelve year old girl, name Ana Ryseff. She explains, "Sometimes when i'm really focusing on a piano piece, the notes will just zoom, zoom up really big, like as if you were using a camera and you zoomed in. Confused about what these two people are talking about?
Let's find out.
Both the patients mentioned above are suffering from the Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, also know as Todd's Syndrome. It is commonly caused by headaches, migraines, and intoxication. A 17-year-old boy described his odd symptoms. He said," quite suddenly objects appear small and distant or close. I feel as i am getting shorter and smaller, like I'm shrinking. The size of people are no bigger than my index finger (liliputian proportion). Sometimes i see the blind in the window or the television getting up and down, or my leg or arm is swinging. I may hear the voices of people quite loud when they're close and faint when they're far. Occasionally, I experience attacks of migranous headaches associated with eye redness, flashes of lights and a feeling of giddiness."From what the young boy's words we see that the patients suffering from this syndrome, may find them confused with the size and shape of their body, and maybe even the body of others.
The person affected by the Alice in Wonderland Syndrome may also lose the sense of time, a problem similar to the lack of spatial perspective. In simpler words time passes very slowly, much slower than normal like watching a video in slow motion except only you're watching it in slow motion and no one else is. If there is a seizure in the temporal lobe of the brain, it may lead to hallucinogenic symptoms.
The problem with the distortions and hallucinations is that the patient becomes terrified and may become panic-stricken. On the contrary these disorders may not be as dangerous and will fade out with time. If these disorders are experienced by the patient during the day, resting may be the most effective way to get out of the perceptions. It is recommended that the patient should join support groups and communities in order to learn how to cope with their condition. The person is able to get support and a psychological understanding of the nature of this condition, and something that will aid in tackling this syndrome. Many people are able to grow out of this condition by the time they reach their teen years but some symptoms may last a life time.
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