As sad as it seems, it isn’t bizarre for one to know at least one person who is diagnosed with a certain mental disorder. A study reveals that approximately 18.5% of adults living in the US experience mental disorder. While this percentage doesn’t even reach a quarter, there is no doubt that this percentage sums to a large quantity of the population. Mental disorder awareness grows throughout each year, spreading awareness through social media, billboards etc. The main goal for mental disorder awareness being spread is to show that a mental illness is not something that should be held as a secret and to message those who suffer that they shouldn’t be afraid to seek help. Even with all the awareness going on, there seems to be a “mainstream” of mental disorders that are known much more to the public than other mental disorders. Schizophrenia, Major depressive disorder, and psychosis are examples of “mainstream” mental disorders that seem to be among the popular disorders that are known the most. There are thousands out there, affected by unpopular mental disorders that inflict damage to one mentally and even physically! Spreading the message about these unpopular mental disorders is just important than the more known ones, which is why we will be discussing 3 examples of unpopular mental disorders.
Trichotillomania
The names of these disorders come as chilling as they affect one’s body. Trichotillomania is a mental disorder where one has an unstoppable urge to pull hairs off of his or her body. The urge can come when one is overwhelmed by a negative emotion, under stress, and under anxiety. Some get the urge to pull hairs without even realizing it, causing this mental disorder to be often misinterpreted and underrated as a bad habit. The damage is mostly physical and has to do with personal appearance, leaving some with large patches of hair on the scalp, as opposed to their bald spots.
Alice in Wonderland syndrome
Just as it sounds, this mental disorder affects one’s perception, just like the main character in the Disney film, Alice. One diagnosed with the Alice in Wonderland syndrome experiences abnormal visual perceptions of the world around him or her. Objects that seem to be smaller or larger than they really are and size distortions are common examples of the effects of this mental illness. Common causes for the disease come from brain tumors, lack of sleep and migraines. People diagnosed with this mental disorder can often experience disturbances in their hearing perception and sounds being misinterpreted, often causing paranoia.
Aboulomania
People diagnosed with Aboulomania experience trouble making decisions, ranging from the simplest of decisions to the more serious ones. This disorder is often associated with stress, anxiety, and Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Anyone trying to live a normal life comes across times where they have to make a simple decision, as simple as taking the dog for a walk or staying at home. As simple as they come, people diagnosed with Aboulomania are mentally handicapped at making the simplest of choices, causing a major effect on the way they live their lives.
