There’s a lot of mystery that surrounds the human brain. Even our most knowledgeable and skilled doctors have yet to figure out everything about it.
For example, we all get headaches, but did you know that our brains are incapable of feeling pain? When we experience a headache, it’s actually because the nerve endings in our neck and head are sending signals to our brain that something hurts. But, the brain itself doesn’t feel pain.
Another interesting thing about the human brain is how fragile it can be. Any disruption to its functions can affect us drastically. People with dementia, for example, know this to be true because once you suffer from this condition, it will be harder to remember simple things like the layout of your own home. It’s why people with this mental disorder often relocate to a dementia residential care facility because they need special care.
There are many other mental disorders that are even stranger than Alzheimer’s or dementia. Some of them are so weird that you would think that they’re just made up, but they’re real.
Capgras syndrome
Have you ever heard of the comical statement that goes like this, ‘Who are you and what have you done with my friend?’ It’s a sarcastic remark indicating that you’ve suddenly altered your behaviour, oftentimes to a better version of yourself.
For people with Capgras syndrome, though, they actually think that those closest to them, whether their spouse, family member, or friend, are not who they really are and have been replaced by impostors. It’s a debilitating condition that could even lead to violent outbursts if the patient is not treated right away.
Stendhal syndrome
If you have a friend who’s been diagnosed with this condition, don’t ever bring them to a museum if you don’t want them to succumb to a panic attack. That’s because people with Stendhal syndrome are prone to having a panic attack when they see art pieces.
Unfortunately, this mental disorder is not limited to artworks. Other patients can’t function properly whenever they see something aesthetically beautiful. So, even if you’re just walking in the park and the setting sun throws a beautiful shade of orange on the horizon, your friend with this syndrome might fall to their knees and start hyperventilating.
Alien hand syndrome
Imagine if one day you no longer have control of your left or right hand. Would that freak you out? Because that is what people suffering from this mental disorder believe. They think that one of their hands has a mind of its own and that they have no control over it.
A common cause of this condition is when the patient experienced a stroke that damaged their parietal lobe. Other people have this condition because their corpus callosum, which acts as a bridge for the right and left hemispheres of the brain, is damaged and the left side of the brain can’t communicate with the right side and vice versa.
Despite the strangeness of these mental disorders, no one can doubt that the human brain is a magnificent and mysterious organ. So, with that in mind, we all should do everything we can to take care of our brains.