Disorder of the Day #1

After reflecting on my year of blogging, and the subsequent downslide of readers, I have come to the conclusion that changes must be made.  One suggestion from somewhere by someone was that blogs should have a niche.  I think this might also be known as a “gimmick”.  I have thought long and hard, and fallen asleep, and then woke up, and now have come to the conclusion that I will appeal to the hypochondriac hamsters who read my blog by offering you a new diabolical diagnosis every once in awhile.  It won’t be daily, although that is implied in the title of this post.  I like alliteration, and “Disease/Disorder of the Moment during Which I Feel Like Writing About It” did not really seem to flow.

Have you ever looked at a loved one, and thought, he/she is an alien, and I probably should club him or her over the head with the frying pan to save mankind?  If you do not live near Roswell, and have not recently had any unexplained power outages or crop circles in your back yard, then you, my friend, may suffer from Capgras Syndrome.

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen and Hamsters, this is a true disorder from which people can suffer.  Sometimes, the poor patients become convinced that an impostor has taken over a close friend or family member – an impostor that looks identical to the true person.  This, as I am sure you can understand, can be quite disconcerting.  Sharing a bedroom with an alien pretending to be your spouse can tend to put one a bit on edge.

There are different thoughts as to the causes of Capgras Syndrome.  One of the world’s most famous neuroscientists, V.S. Ramachandran, believes that it is related to a disconnect between the parts of the brain that recognize faces and emotions.  This structural defect could be brought on by a physical incident, such as a car accident.  Other scientists surmise that it is purely a psychological issue.

Despite all of my research, I have found no evidence that this is a syndrome that occurs once a month, usually lasting about a week.  So, I think my husband and I will need to do a bit more investigating to uncover the reason for our own apparently cyclical personality changes.  We cannot seem to agree on which one of us is the impostor.  Which is worse – to be the person who suspects a loved one of having his or her body taken over by aliens, or to be the person who actually was taken over by aliens and doesn’t believe it when you tell them (I’m not sure what they call that syndrome)?  You can see our dilemma.

So, the next time you look at your husband, wife, or child, and think, “This person is acting completely out of character,” rest assured.  The problem you think is a problem is not really the problem you think it is.  In other words – it’s not them, it’s you.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or psychiatrist, and I’m not particularly intelligent, so don’t go bonking your husband or wife on their noggin with a kitchen appliance and blame it on this post.

Um, Hon, I was just wondering. Since when did you start wearing knit caps? And smoking a pipe? On a street corner.
photo credit: liber via photo pin cc