Decode the werewolf obsession in real life

Some people have a strong belief that they are in the process of transforming their bodies into wolves: they make a howling, scratching, feeling hair covering their bodies and their nails and legs are growing. There have been 13 cases of obsession with werewolf that have been recorded since 1850.

Derived from the treatment of a patient who believes he is a werewolf, Dr. Jan Dirk Blom, professor of psychiatry at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), has studied archives to find the level of spectrum. Variation of this disease.

Mr. Blom discovered, since 1850, there have been 56 reports describing people who believe they are transforming into animals. Among them, 13 reports meet the criteria for wolfish paranoia . The disease refers to a person who does not actually turn into a wolf or is able to do it.

The remaining cases are variants of the disease, with patients obsessed with thinking of themselves as dogs, pythons, toads or bees, according to research reports published in the History of Psychiatry magazine. The number of cases of low wolfish delusions has been very low in the past 150 years, implying that the disease may be more rare than many people have thought for a long time.

The wolfish paranoia can be traced to brain disease.(Photo: Shutterstock)

The idea of transformation has been around since ancient times and is still a topic of interest. However, in medicine, many cases of wolfish paranoia have been omitted because health professionals still do not understand the existence and character of this disorder.

Wolves' paranoia is generally considered an abnormal manifestation of another type of disorder, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression. In fact, out of 56 paranoid cases of animal formation, 25% were diagnosed with schizophrenia, 23% were assigned to neurotic depression and about 20% were thought to be confused. bipolar disorder

Among patients, 34 are male and 22 are female. Their symptoms last from an hour to several decades.

During the past millennia, explanations of delusional delusions are all phenomenal. However, modern science finally finds out, this disease is likely to originate in brain diseases.

A series of recent brain imaging studies have shown that certain brain regions seem to play an essential role in creating a sense of physical condition . These brain regions include cortical areas responsible for movement and sensation.

In the cases Mr. Blom considered, the patients felt the change in their appearance. For example, some think their mouths and teeth are deformed or their breasts are wide. Others experience small shrunken body sensations. Some feel burning in the back and thighs.

Mr. Blom said, maybe in some patients, hallucinations stem from problems in the brain region involved, profoundly changing their perception of physical identity. Today, psychiatrists can use electroencephalogram (EEG) or other brain imaging techniques to detect abnormalities in the brain region that increase the illusion of the body and the sense of ego. .