Micropsy: it's not fun, it's dangerous

Micropsia( Lilliput vision, dwarf hallucinations) is one of the forms of a very rare unusual neurological disease, which also has the name Alisa syndrome( international medical abbreviation - AIWS).

The main feature is a distorted, deformed perception of the real world around, not related to vision.

Alice's syndrome is expressed in two basic forms: micropsia and macropsia.

Macro and micro - two sides of one violation

When a micropsy, the patient sees the surrounding objects exaggeratedly small, as if toy - much smaller than their natural size.

The second form, a rare, but complementary to the clinic, is a macropsy. With her, there is a reverse clinical picture, when a person perceives and objects, and even their own hands, legs enlarged in size. When you attack, the surrounding things grow right before your eyes.

Both forms of pathology often combine and completely disorient the patient, affecting visual perception, touch. Often AIWS causes auditory and olfactory hallucinations. As a rule, this is a borderline state with the development of epilepsy and schizophrenia.

All pathological changes observed by the patient with Lilliputian vision and its opposite form do not affect the organs of vision, but occur at the psychic level.affecting only the cerebral analyzers. The sick psyche imposes on a person "mutilated" sensations and visions. The brain, captured by a neurological disorder, gets the right information from the eyes, but interprets it incorrectly.

This mental condition manifests itself usually in the form of an attack and often happens unexpectedly.

The patient can see a tiny little table, where there is a huge cup of milk, along the edge of which moves a giant fly. Neither the microposal nor its opposite form affects the visual organs, but only the cerebral analyzers.

Alice's syndrome is not fun, it's dangerous

Alice's syndrome in the looking-glass, as a form of AIWS syndrome, can be:

• as a separate disease;
• is one of the symptoms of developing migraine;
• is a sign of drug dependence;
• serious mental pathologies, epilepsy, brain tumors.

This disturbance of the psyche is dangerous in case of problems with the perception of the environment, when a person can not distinguish reality from the world transformed by his psyche.

In addition to visual and auditory distortions, there is a loss of orientation in space and time. Absence of real reference points aggravates pathology, destroying the patient's psyche.

Without being able to assess the dimensions of objects, their remoteness, the patient is in danger, being on the street, where he loses support under his feet, does not realize the approach of transport, other people, pits and any obstacles. He is not able to analyze the situation, assess the situation and take action, as a healthy person would do.

Interesting facts

Alisa's syndrome in Wonderland - an abnormal mental breakdown received its magical name more than 60 years ago in honor of the strange beautiful fairy tale of Lewis Carroll, created by the author's imagination back in 1865.

A man "bewitched" begins to see everything, as if through a curved prism: a large one - decreases, a tiny one - swells to an incredible size.

In addition, the distances to objects also change. They can increase enormously - and then your own palm stretches, touching the opposite wall, the window looks like a tiny luminous dot somewhere at the end of the tunnel.

And the cockroach running in the distance turns into a monster, causing cardiac spasms of horror. The body reacts with the release of adrenaline, as dictated by an unhealthy psyche.

Lewis Carroll

In general, and in particular, the picture observed by the patient with a micropsy is similar to that described by Lewis Carroll. In the fairy-tale, after a magical meal, the girl then decreased, then grew up in relation to the objects around her and living beings.

Psychiatrists believe that the writer apparently also suffered from this disease and recorded his own symptoms, which manifested itself with migraine with aura( severe pain that spreads to half of the head, which develop after previous neurological symptoms - "aura").

And so, for some, a fairy tale about a girl Alice in a wonderful country does not cause emotion, but rejection by her phantasmagoria, peculiar to a sick psyche.

Usually, if a micropsia is caused by a severe mental disorder, it occurs in childhood from 5 years, when the child begins to analyze and evaluate the surrounding world, and to 13-14 with gradual adjustment of the hormonal adjustment of pubertal age.

Dwarf hallucinations are more likely to occur with the onset of twilight, a strange time of semi-darkness and blurred silhouettes, when the brain begins to experience a lack of visual signals about the exact size of the surrounding objects. In some people, the microscope is observed in adults.

About the causes of

The exact causes of the micropsia are being clarified. It is believed that the probability of communication with genetics and heredity is high. Physicians pay attention to several reasons that cause the development of AIWS.

It is found that a microsciosis can be a separate neurological disorder or one of its symptoms, as well as an accompanying pathology in certain disorders of the psyche.

These include the following diseases:

1. Migraine .The most common cause of view of the Lilliputians. It manifests itself in attacks of intense pain in one half of the head. Symptoms of a "terrible fairy tale" usually precede an attack, expressed in hallucinations and metamorphopsy - a condition in which there is a false perception of color, shape, size and movement of real objects.
2. Epilepsy .Disorder of the psyche, which is expressed by sudden very strong cramps with loss of consciousness. The disease can also provoke the occurrence of strange visions and auditory hallucinations.
3. Schizophrenia .Severe disorder of the psyche, which manifests itself in various forms and is associated with a violation of the processes of thinking, perception, emotion.

Sometimes the causes of a microprint are:

1. Mononucleosis .An acute infection, the development of which is provoked by the pathogenic Epstein-Barr virus. It leads to the defeat of the lymphatic system, to failures of the functions of the higher cerebral departments.
2. Neoplasms and tissue damage in the anterior region of the .Tumors of any origin can press on certain areas of the cerebral cortex, causing a violation of the thought process and unreal bizarre visions.
3. Exposure to certain substances of human , for example: hallucinogenic drugs( Morphine, cough remedy Dextromethorphan with a morphine-like component);psychedelics( LSD, alkaloid psilocybin);marijuana and other types of narcotic drugs. All the signs disappear after removing the metabolic products from the blood, but significantly weaken the psyche.

syndrome manifests itself in a wonderful world in the form of unexpected seizures that can last several seconds or minutes, like a strange dream, up to several hours or even weeks, when a person's mental state is under great stress.

Unpleasant property of the syndrome - it overtakes the patient, even if his eyes are closed. This is another additional confirmation that the disease has nothing to do with vision, but is only an unsuccessful result of a psychic-cerebral "symbiosis."

Attack usually accompanies the following unpleasant conditions:

• loss of orientation in space;
• feeling of failures in time, which is then accelerated, then slowed down;
• fear, depression;
• agnosia or inability to recognize people and objects, although there are no disturbances in the visual and auditory systems;
• a violation of the ability to follow a sequence of actions.

As a rule, symptoms of a panic attack are attached to the main symptoms:

• pressing, compressive pain in the head;
• increased, strong heartbeat( tachycardia), pulsation in the temples;
• sharp( in a few minutes) pressure rise;
• arrhythmic phenomena( pauses in contractions of the myocardium), causing an additional sense of fear of death;
• frequent breathing, yawning and sighs, indicative of hyperventilation of the lungs;
• feeling of suffocation;
• trembling of fingers, a sensation of tingling in the tips until severe burning( a consequence of a powerful adrenaline release of the adrenal glands);
• intestinal and gastric spasms, diarrhea.

Other components of a panic attack are possible, dangerous, mainly, by a sharp "jump" in pressure.

Diagnosis and treatment of

Alisa syndrome is an extremely rare disorder. According to statistics, today it does not appear in the US more than 300 patients throughout the country.

The diagnosis is based on complaints and descriptions of the patient's symptoms, since in this state the laboratory diagnostic methods are unable to provide any data for analysis. For the syndrome, as a separate temporary condition, until a special treatment is developed.

Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a full survey and determine the current, often hidden, cause of this condition.

In order to distinguish this disease from possible other severe disorders with a similar clinical picture, and to identify the main cause of the pathology, encephalography, computed tomography, lumbar puncture for the investigation of cerebrospinal fluid is prescribed.

If the underlying cause of the disorder is not an identified disease, then after the treatment that eliminates the underlying pathology, Lilliputian vision, as a symptom, disappears on its own.

For migraines with a previous microscope prescribe drugs that relieve headache, sedatives and strong analgesics that reduce the severity and duration of migraine.

Recommended:

• to minimize the impact on the psyche of stressful, irritating situations;to practice a long night's sleep( preferably - up to 10 hours, but not less than 8);
• to change the diet and minimize products that have the properties of provoking a migraine attack: strong alcohol, citrus, black coffee and chocolate, cheese.

What to do in case of an attack?

An attack of dwarf hallucinations is an occasion for serious concern about the state of mind and safety. A sharp change in the visual world, confusing, frightening and disorienting, and additional symptoms of panic attacks make a person helpless. He can fall, lose consciousness, get a concussion, heal.

If agnosia is manifested, then apart from the loss of the ability to recognize people and understand the purpose of objects, a sense of indifference is added to one's condition, not a recognition of the very fact of the illness and a critical attitude towards it. Therefore, first of all, outside of the attack, it should:

• realize that the pathology is, it requires attention, or even treatment, if caused by diseases;
• does not hide its status from people who are interested and loving, who can provide invaluable help in this condition;
• find a professional in psychiatry and conduct a brain examination.

There is a need to clearly understand certain rules:

• always carry a charged mobile phone( preferably two);
• have the necessary medications to relieve the symptoms of migraine, panic attacks( usually Alprozalam, prescribed by a psychotherapist, psychiatrist or neurologist, a medicine to reduce pressure and relieve a heart attack - Bravadin, Atenolol, Anaprilin);
• realize that with Alisa's syndrome there are violations of movements and lack of correctness of actions and develop rules of conduct for themselves during the onset of this condition.

During an attack:

• to dissolve tablets of Corvalol and Validol together, to take the minimum active dose of a tranquilizer;
• at elevated pressure - take the necessary medicine;
• try to keep track of your behavior, movements, symptoms - it helps to focus and calm down;
• does not drive or enter the water;
• to avoid any dangerous situations associated with a violation of the perception of the dimensions of objects and range of distances;
• when moving stop and sit down, call relatives or friends.

When a huge boulder turns into a small pebble, and it's easy to stumble and break his head or break a limb, the legs lengthen and fall to the floor, the walls move, trying to crush, the tables rise into the air - it's not funny, but dangerously complete loss of controlreality.

Alisa's syndrome requires mandatory examination to rule out serious pathologies.

Close, the patient's friends should realize that a microscope is a complex disease that breaks the habitual world of a person, both during an attack and outside this state, a person needs real support and the greatest possible attention and help.