Mental disorders are more common and prevalent that one can consciously imagine. Having certain kinds of mental disorders makes a person vulnerable for open criticism from the side of friends and relatives. In reality, all these ment

al states are entirely misunderstood, heavily stigmatized and prejudiced.

Technically, all the mental disorders differ in their degree of severity from patient to patient. Surely, these mental states can come to create debilitating problems. If not treated with the proper intervention measures, they may lead to the development of schizophrenia. These disorders are different from the normal states of the mind based on their symptoms like depression, sadness, anxiety, grief etc. But, any deviation from the dominant patterns of society does not necessarily mean that a person is suffering from a mental disorder. This baseless approach towards classifying people comes from the side of the people who consider themselves as psychologists. There is a set method and procedure which is followed by the trained clinical psychologists and psychiatrists before tagging a person with a certain mental state, as no diagnosis is far better than a wrong diagnosis. Not surprisingly, there are certain mental disorders which are in most ways bizarre and flaky. In order to classify these disorders, which I would be sharing with you below, the clinicians have invested their full potential. Let us take a look at the top 10 bizarre mental disorders.

10-Stockholm Syndrome

This bizarre mental disorder is marked by the development of positive feelings in the minds of the hostages for their captors. In extreme situations, the people suffering from this syndrome may also come to defend their captors. According to a number of case studies and reports that were published by FBI, it was revealed that nearly 27 % of all victims come to exhibit symptoms of this kind of syndrome. So, why is this mental state named as the Stockholm Syndrome. This is because of the fact that this mental state was first seen in a robbery that took place in a bank located in Stockholm, Sweden in the year 1973.

9-Lima Syndrome

Having an idea about the Stockholm syndrome will help in understanding the Lima Syndrome. In simple words, the Lima syndrome is the complete opposite of the S.S, as it is marked by the development of sympathetic feelings in the captors for the hostages. Now, the incident in which this bizarre mental disorder was first seen had taken place in Peru in which the Former President of Peru along with a number of other important people had been taken hostage by a group of terrorists. Later onwards, the terrorists had created similar feelings for the hostages which forced them to leave the hostages.

8-Paris Syndrome

Surprisingly, most of the patients suffering from this weird mental state happen to be Japanese. It is marked by the experiencing of a nervous breakdown as soon as on enters the city of Paris. How weird is that? The main reason behind the development of this disorder is the inability of adapting with the Parisian Culture which results in a cultural shock. Now another possible explanation of this disorder can be that the tourists and visitors are in some ways unable to reconcile the actual images of Paris with the ones they had consistently seen in the movies. In reality the city is not so perfect, as most of the people believe it to be. In order to deal with such patients the authorities of the city have set up a 24/7 helpline.

7-Diogenes Syndrome

This disorder has been named after the Greek Philosopher named as Diogenes. He had spent most of his life inside a wine barrel promoting and spreading teachings of animalism and self-neglect. Same is the case with the patients who now suffer from this mental disorder, as they constantly engage in practices that show their feelings of self-neglect, self-deprecation and reclusive tendencies. Mostly, old people suffer from this disorder, especially those having symptoms of senile dementia. It is not so clear whether it is the dementia which causes the appearance of this syndrome or it is the syndrome that results in symptoms of dementia.

6-Capgras Delusion

At number 6 we have yet another weird and bizarre mental disorder most commonly referred to as the Capgras Delusion. This typical disorder is marked by a number of irrational beliefs. The people who suffer from this disorder claim that their loved one or any person they knew well has been replaced by a duplicate, more likely an imposter. These kinds of beliefs are also seen in the patients of schizophrenia or dementia. As it is mostly seen in the schizophrenic patients, so a possible chemical imbalance can be termed as the cause of this disorder. The most recent case of this disorder was reported in a 72 year old married woman who refused to sleep with her husband at night, as she mistook him to be an imposter. She had also asked her son for a gun, so that she could kill the imposter. So, it is quite substantiated that this syndrome is also characterized by the appearance of a paranoid figure or delusional beliefs.

5-Stendhal Syndrome

Stendhal Syndrome is yet another weird mental disorder, marked by irrational behaviors. The people suffering from this disorder come to experience various form of hallucinations, rapid heartbeat, anxiety, irritation and confusion as soon as they get near to a well-known or a beautiful piece of art. The above mentioned symptoms can also be experienced on certain occasions depending upon the severity of the syndrome.

4-Jerusalem Syndrome

This mental disorder is branded by the appearance of psychosis-like conditions and symptoms after having a visit to the capital city of Israel, Jerusalem. The manifestations of the disorder are seen in the form of obsessions, beliefs and irrational behaviors having some sort of link with their religion. It was also found that the people who suffered from this disorder also had histories of various forms of mental illness. The symptoms of this disease are not endemic to any single religion, as people belonging to diverse religious backgrounds have been reported to be suffering from this disorder. The symptoms of the disease do fade with the passage of time, but with the high chances of reappearance.

3-Fregoli Delusion

This mental disorder is some ways opposite to the Capgras delusion. The people who suffer from this disorder constantly assert that their acquaintances, friends, relatives or any other person has been appearing in front of them in various disguises. This disorder has been named after the well-known illusionist of his time named as Leopold Fregoli. The first case study on this case was revealed by two psychiatrists in the year 1927. The study was made on a young woman who had developed the belief that the two actors she used to see at the theatres had been torturing her in disguises.

2-Cotard Delusion

At number 2 we have a very rare and weird mental psychiatric disorder in which the patients hold a number of delusional beliefs like they had died long ago, they do not exist presently, they have no drop of blood left in them or they have lost most of their internal organs. While some of them also come to claim they are immortal. This disorder has been named after Jules Cotard who was a neurologist and in fact the first person who had identified this disorder along with the symptoms which are found in it. For example, in the year 1990 there was a patient who was suffering from a mental condition but later onwards was discharged. He was then taken by his mother to South Africa. As soon as he reached the destination, he formulated the belief that he is in hell (Because of the surrounding heat) and that he had died from Septicaemia (one of the risks that were mentioned from his doctors in the early stages of his condition).

1-Reduplicative Paramnesia

At number 1 we have the weirdest of all the disorders which is characterized by the belief that a number of places have been replicated into two or more. In simple words, the patient believes that a place has been relocated somewhere else. For example, the person may come to believe that his home in which he had spent his childhood has now been moved to some other part of the country. In his or her belief, all these replica places exist simultaneously in space and time. This term was first devised by the neurologist named, Arnold Pick. According to the assessment and experience of Dr. Arnold, this mental disorder appears mostly in those patients who are expected to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. All his assessment and classification was based on the case study of one of his patients. His patient used to claim that she was being treated in a medical facility which is identical to the Pick’s city clinic. In addition, she also believed that Dr. Arnold and the staff used to visit both of the clinics. A number of similar cases had been reported in the United States, U.K, Germany, and many other countries. The origins of this disorder are not clearly understood, but it can be said that the disorder results from irregular chemical functioning in the brain.