Andrzej Missala

Capgras syndrome is a mental disorder characterized by a presence of specific delusions. Patients believe that people from their environment, mainly family members, neighbors or even pets, have been replaced by identically looking aliens, and sometimes by robots or extraterrestrials. They cannot logically explain the reason for the replacement and their belief cannot be dissuaded in any way. Interestingly, patients do not try to look for replaced persons, nor they are even curious about what happened to them. Usually they focus on activities aimed at exposing the "impostor". They may also behave very aggressively towards the imaginary double, and they can even attempt to annihilate him. On the other hand, other patients may show fear of the allegedly changed person. Over time, the disease may progress and deepen delusions. Then sick persons may claim that someone or something replaced their personal belongings at night in order to look identical. If there is an animal in th

  Let me introduce you a lycanthropy disorder. In this case patients believe that they are not human beings but animals. Therefore, they exhibit the behaviours characteristic for a given animal. Patients are the most often convinced that they have turned into a wolf, although sometimes they think that they are other animals, including a dog, a frog, a cat, a horse, a tiger, or even a boa snake. Lycanthropy is a very rare type of delusion, but when it occurs, all symptoms are very specific. They include belief that you are the animal, inability to look critically at this type of delusion and a lack of rational reflection. Patients try to present evidence of their animality. They imitate animals, useing typical for them movements, as well as sounds and noises, for example they howl like a wolf. They manifest fangs and claws. Lycanthropy is very often a symptom of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression. According to doctors an important factor contributing lycanthropy may be

Ekbom's syndrome, also called parasitic insanity, is an example of a hypochondriac delusional disorder. The sick persons believe in the presence of parasites in the skin and complain of symptoms such as burning and itching. Other symptoms of Ekbom's syndrome include the sensation of biting the epidermis by worms and visual hallucinations, for example seeing insects on the skin.  Sick persons try to get rid of them at all costs. They scratch the skin, using insecticides, use washing and cleaning procedures. As a result there are secondary skin problems, among others: wounds, seeking help from dermatologists and insect control specialists. There are many possible causes of parasitic insanity. The etiology of the disorder has not been discovered. However, it can be seen that Ekbom's syndrome is associated with various mental or somatic disorders such as schizophrenia, organic brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, the usage of psychoactive substances such as amphetami

 Cotard's syndrome is a very serious and rare disease, which symptoms  are very characteristic and easy to notice. A person suffering from Cotard syndrome is convinced of his own death, that's why it's called a 'walking corpse syndrom'. A characteristic symptom of Cotard's syndrome are delusions associated with patients' death in life. They are convinced that their internal organs putrefy , their bodies rots, and worms feed on them. Other symptoms include: anxiety, low sensitivity and an awareness of pain. Among the people affected by that disorder, there are also people who are convinced of their immortality. There is also an apathy and a lack of reaction to external stimuli such as taste, sound or smell. The sick person has very specific movements, which are similar to the movements of movie "zombie". Another characteristic symptoms of Cotard's syndrome are patients' belief that some of their organs vanish in their bodies and that there i

Paraphrenia is also known as hallucinosis. This is a kind of paranoia with all sorts of hallucinations. It usually appears either around the age of 20 or in people over 40. However, the greatest incidence was found in the elderly. It's a chronic disorder that requires constant monitoring and pharmacological treatment. This mental illness is characterized by visions that are not reflected in reality. Today, it isn't classified as a separate disease, but as a complex of paraphrenic symptoms that appear in old age. Paraphrenia is more common in women, but it is much less common than other mental disorders characterized by hallucinations.  A person with paraphrenia very often feels that he is constantly being watched and followed, and therefore feels constant anxiety and fear for his own life. There is also a characteristic feeling that people who surf on TV or express themselves on the Internet talk directly to that person, looking at them and addressing their words specifically t