6 Most Disturbing Rare Mental Disorders
These are a few unnerving mental disorders that are extremely uncommon.
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These are a few unnerving mental disorders that are extremely uncommon.
Follow our telegram group to get the latest movie updates
https://t.me/seriestoponlineUSA
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Dissociative Fugue. Dissociative fugue is a rare condition where a person forgets everything about
00:06themselves and their identity. However, what separates a fugue state from something like
00:10amnesia is that the person suffering from this condition is not confused or scared by the sudden
00:15memory loss. Instead, they're fully aware of their surroundings and often travel to some
00:19faraway location almost as if they're searching for something. In some cases, the patient can
00:24even start a whole new, fully functioning life under a brand new name, which is probably the
00:29scariest symptom of this disorder. It's almost like the person you recognize as your own self
00:33takes a back seat while someone else controls your body. These second lives can look so normal that
00:39unless someone knew the person before, they'd have no idea they were speaking to someone experiencing
00:43such a disturbing condition. Someone can also spend months trapped as this alternative self,
00:49living a brand new life, while to their loved ones, they're a missing person. Now, we still don't have
00:54a clear picture of how such a disorder is even possible, but we do know that it has a strong
00:57correlation with amnesia, and more importantly, dissociative identity disorder, which is also
01:02known as multiple personality disorder. As for what causes such an extreme disorder in the first
01:06place, the reasons can range from severe mental and physical trauma to the use of psychotropic
01:11substances and, in some cases, even as a side effect of dementia. Fortunately, there hasn't been a single
01:16case of dissociative fugue becoming a permanent part of someone's life. All patients eventually come to
01:22their senses only to find themselves in an unfamiliar location with no recollection of how they got there.
01:27However, while some regain their memories shortly after emerging from their fugue stayed, others
01:31remain unable to recall anything about themselves, which is what happened with Jeffrey Allen Ingram.
01:37On the 10th of September 2006, Jeff woke up on a sidewalk in Denver, Colorado. Now, of course,
01:43waking up on the sidewalk would be distressing enough on its own, but Jeff had to face an even
01:47harsher reality. He had no memory of who he was and how he got there.
01:51It was early in the morning. I'm not sure at what time. It looked like the sun was just starting to
01:58come up, so there was some light there. I was half picking myself up off of the ground,
02:05and I had no idea where I was. I didn't recognize no buildings, no streets, no nothing.
02:14He frantically searched his pockets, hoping to find an ID or any other document that had his name.
02:19Unfortunately, all he found was $8 in cash. After failing to remember a single detail about his
02:25past, Jeff turned to the people in the vicinity to ask for help. Sadly, they were less helpful than
02:29he had hoped. To them, Jeff looked like a crazy person on drugs.
02:34And it was extremely, extremely terrifying. They turned me away, as if I was, you know,
02:41someone that lives off of the streets, or was some kind of a psychotic person, you know,
02:45like, yeah, like you don't know where you are kind of thing.
02:48Without any other option at his disposal, Jeff started working toward the most logical solution
02:52he could think of at the time, finding a hospital. However, he didn't have enough money on hand to get
02:57a cab. So he set off on foot, and eventually found a hospital after walking continuously for
03:02eight hours. But due to his complete memory loss, even getting an appointment at a hospital was a
03:07challenge. And I ended up walking into Denver Health. I walked up to, up to where they take the
03:17admissions and stuff like that, and said, I need help. They go, okay, well, what, you know, what is your
03:26name? I said, I have no idea. That's what I'm here for. She says, well, you got to put something
03:32down. I said, I don't know my name. Like, you guys don't understand. So they just gave me a name
03:41and stuff there. You know, John Doe, still drilled me, what's your name? I said, I don't know.
03:47You know, and I'm in tears at this time. I'm shaking really, really bad. I can barely stand up.
03:52While in the hospital, the doctors tried everything they could, from medication to therapy,
03:56to help him recover his memory. But even after six weeks of treatment, Jeff had zero clue about
04:02his identity. The only option he had left was to make his face as famous as possible so maybe
04:07someone from his previous life could identify him. So on October 22nd, he went onto national TV to ask
04:13for help. I don't know. It's hard. It's hard to explain. I just try to look for information in my
04:20head and it's not there. It's just blank. Yeah. What's the hardest part about that then? About not
04:27knowing. It's very stressful. Yes. Can you do me a favor? Can you take off your hat so we can see what
04:33you look like without the baseball cap? Because people may remember you that way. And do you know
04:36if you always wore glasses or you just have no idea? I have no idea. Why don't you take those off as
04:41well so we can see what it looks like without the glasses? Luckily, his fiancée Penny Hanson
04:45recognized him and immediately contacted the police. She also gave them pictures of the two
04:50together to prove that she was telling the truth. Jeffrey Ingram hugged his fiancée today,
04:55who just 24 hours ago, he couldn't even identify. He didn't even know himself. As it turned out,
05:01Jeff was a 40-year-old machinist from Olympia, Washington. On September 6th, he went out to visit
05:06his friend in Canada who was dying of cancer. And that's when he went into his fugue state for the next
05:10four days. The stress of knowing that a dear friend could pass away at any moment due to
05:15terminal illness was likely what triggered the disorder. However, it's important to note that
05:19this wasn't the first time something like this happened to Jeff. He had experienced the same
05:23issue twice before, with him going missing for nine whole months back in 1995. Though,
05:28he did regain his memory quickly after waking up from that fugue state. Unfortunately, the same did not
05:33happen in 2006. As romantic as it would have been, he didn't regain his memory after seeing his
05:38fiancée after nearly two months. And it took years for him to readjust into his old life.
05:44In order to prevent such confusion in the future, Ingram ordered GPS shoes and had his identity
05:48information tattooed on him. He also started wearing a zip disc with medical information around
05:53his neck. The most unsettling part of the incident, however, was that he remembered having two children
05:58who died in a car accident.
06:00And what came out of that? Any clues?
06:03A few clues that I might have worked in New York or in the New York area.
06:11That I did have a family.
06:13That you did have a family?
06:15A wife and two kids. And they were all killed in a car crash somewhere by a drunk driver.
06:23Maybe in the New York area, we're not sure.
06:25But according to Penny, Jeff never had any children before.
06:28As to why he remembered something so traumatizing even though it wasn't true,
06:32we'll never know for sure.
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07:42Alien Hand Syndrome
07:43Alien Hand Syndrome is exactly what it sounds like.
07:47A person loses control over one of their hands, usually the left.
07:50This quote, alien hand, moves on its own, often in unpredictable and creepy ways,
07:55making the patients believe that the hand attached to their body is not theirs.
07:59What makes this condition even more unsettling
08:01is how the alien hand can directly contradict the other.
08:04Imagine flipping on a light switch only for your rogue hand to immediately switch it back off.
08:09It can also be violent towards the patient,
08:11with some reports of the affected hand trying to choke the patient,
08:14which is a truly disturbing thing to experience.
08:17And while we don't fully know why something like this occurs,
08:20we do know that it's more common in people who have undergone split brain surgery in the past.
08:24For those who don't know,
08:25our brain consists of two hemispheres that are connected in the middle with a bridge of nerves.
08:29Our motor functions are also split between the two halves.
08:32The left brain controls our right side, while the right brain controls the left.
08:35More importantly, the left hemisphere governs our ability to speak.
08:38It's where our language centers are housed, the part of us that can articulate thoughts.
08:42In a sense, it's the voice of who we are.
08:44However, during a split brain surgery, the corpus callosum,
08:47which is the bridge that connects the two hemispheres,
08:49is cut to treat severe drug-resistant epilepsy.
08:52And as the theory goes, split brain surgery removes the right brain's ability
08:56to communicate its intentions with the left brain,
08:58which, as we discussed, controls speech.
09:01In silence, the right brain remains conscious, aware, and functioning,
09:04but with no voice to express itself.
09:06And since it doesn't have a way to vocalize its intentions,
09:09the right brain often resorts to moving the hand under its control.
09:12A real-life example of this is Karen Byrne in New Jersey.
09:15She had the split brain surgery when she was 27 years old to treat epilepsy,
09:19and it was a success.
09:21That is, until her left hand started moving on its own.
09:24In an interview, Karen explained the first time this happened during a doctor's visit.
09:27Quote,
09:28She also explained how it now hinders her day-to-day life, stating,
09:51I'd light a cigarette, balance it on an ashtray,
09:54and then my left hand would reach forward and stub it out.
09:57It would take things out of my handbag, and I wouldn't realize, so I would walk away.
10:01I lost a lot of things before I realized what was going on.
10:04Worst of all, the left hand sometimes lashed out against Karen,
10:07and started attacking her out of the blue.
10:09Ultimately, if the split brain theory is true,
10:11it brings up some unnerving questions about who we are.
10:15But as creepy as some of the implications are,
10:17I doubt we'll get concrete answers anytime soon,
10:19since this disorder is so rare that it's hard to study.
10:22Plus, our brain is way too complex to fully understand with our current medical technology.
10:31Cotard Syndrome
10:32Cotard Syndrome, also known as Cotard Delusion or Walking Corpse Syndrome,
10:37is a rare mental disorder where a person believes that they're dead,
10:40don't exist, or have somehow lost their internal organs or blood.
10:43It was discovered by Jules Cotard, a French neurologist who first described this condition
10:48in 1880.
10:49He described this disorder as a previously unrecognized form of depression,
10:53noting that those affected exhibited many traits commonly seen in individuals with severe depression.
10:58They would stop taking care of themselves, become emotionless,
11:01and drive zero enjoyment out of activities they used to enjoy before.
11:05But later studies confirmed that the Walking Corpse Syndrome wasn't a disorder on its own.
11:09Instead, it was the result of extreme depression and anxiety,
11:12leading to psychosis and schizophrenia.
11:14Near-death experiences can also have a similar effect,
11:17where someone regains consciousness after getting very close to death,
11:20or even dying for a few minutes before getting resuscitated by doctors.
11:24Something like this happened to Army veteran Warren McKinlay,
11:27who got in a horrible motorcycle accident.
11:29And while he survived the accident,
11:31the resulting stress and head trauma in his frontal lobe
11:33caused him to develop the Walking Corpse Syndrome.
11:35What I felt was, what's the point?
11:38And that's how you felt emotionally, what's the point?
11:40What's the point?
11:41Why do?
11:43I was at Headley Court,
11:44and they were trying to help me and...
11:48To rehab you?
11:51Rehab, and I was just...
11:52You felt like a ghost, didn't you?
11:53What's the point?
11:54Like a ghost, dead man walking.
11:55More modern examinations have also discovered a strong correlation
11:58between Cotard's Syndrome and damage to parts of the brain
12:01responsible for recognizing faces.
12:03So, when an already anxious person sees themselves in a mirror,
12:06they can't recognize themselves and reach the delusional conclusion
12:09that they must be dead.
12:11Researchers also mapped out the three key stages of Cotard's Syndrome.
12:14And the scary thing is,
12:16it starts off as practically indistinguishable from regular depression
12:19in what's known as the germination stage.
12:22During this stage, the patients experience symptoms like insomnia,
12:25loneliness, and the loss of interest in both their home and work life.
12:29The next stage is known as the blooming stage.
12:31This is where the symptoms quickly mold into something
12:33that can be recognized as Cotard's Syndrome.
12:36During this stage, patients often claim that they have missing or rotting body parts,
12:40that they're already dead,
12:41or in some severe cases, that they don't exist anymore.
12:44The final and the most terrifying stage of Cotard's Syndrome
12:47is called the chronic stage.
12:49At this point, the delusions of death become ingrained in the patient's mind,
12:52leading them to refusing any and all help from others
12:55and denying their reality.
12:56Once a person reaches this stage,
12:58it becomes extremely difficult to rehabilitate them,
13:01since in their mind, what's the point?
13:03They're already dead.
13:04And while there are some exceptions,
13:06most patients at this stage end up in one of two distinct camps.
13:09For about 55% of the patients,
13:11the main symptom of Cotard's Syndrome is a delusion of immortality.
13:15They believe that they've lost vital organs.
13:17However, they're also still mindful enough to notice that their body is still moving.
13:21Under normal circumstances,
13:22they'd see the proof of their body working fine
13:25and come to the rational conclusion that they still have every vital organ.
13:28Unfortunately, the psychosis caused by Cotard's Syndrome
13:31leads them to a very destructive realization,
13:33that they're functionally immortal.
13:35This was exactly the case for the 43-year-old woman
13:37whose condition led to Jules Cotard discovering the syndrome,
13:41someone he referred to as Madwezel X.
13:43In his case report,
13:44Jules described Madwezel X's condition in detail, stating,
13:48Madwezel X affirms she has no brain, no nerves, no chest, no stomach, no intestines.
13:54There's only skin and bones of a decomposing body.
13:57She has no soul.
13:58God does not exist, neither the devil.
14:00She's nothing more than a decomposing body and has no need to eat for a living.
14:04She cannot die a natural death.
14:06She exists eternally if she's not burned.
14:08The fire will be the only solution for her.
14:10Unfortunately, Jules didn't have any way to treat this woman at the time.
14:14She later passed away from starvation after refusing to eat anything.
14:17And while the people suffering from this form of Cotards
14:19might find some solace in the delusion that they can't die,
14:22the second group's life becomes an unending nightmare.
14:25The most disturbing case of this I came across
14:27involved a 65-year-old retired teacher referred to as Mr. B
14:30in the case report to protect his privacy.
14:33Let's call him Brian for simplicity's sake.
14:35Sometime in early 2010,
14:37Brian started experiencing a multitude of negative symptoms,
14:40including sadness, poor socialization, anxiety,
14:43decreased sleep and appetite, ideas of worthlessness, and guilt.
14:47However, it wasn't long before these symptoms developed further,
14:49with delusions of catastrophe, nihilism, and persecution.
14:53He also began feeling like he had lost every asset
14:55and had become extremely poor as a result.
14:58But things were about to get a whole lot worse.
15:00Because soon after,
15:01Brian started saying that his organs weren't working anymore,
15:04his brain had stopped functioning,
15:05and his house had developed cracks and was going to fall down.
15:08This feeling of nihilism became so unbearable
15:11that Brian tried to end his life.
15:13Fortunately, his attempt was unsuccessful,
15:15and he was admitted to a hospital.
15:17Family members also found a final note in his room,
15:19which revealed that he wanted to end himself
15:21because he feared he might spread a deadly infection
15:23to the people in his village.
15:24Even after being admitted to the hospital,
15:26Brian attempted to end everything two more times,
15:29before becoming fully convinced that he was already dead
15:31and refusing to eat.
15:33The only silver lining in this case
15:35is that doctors were able to diagnose his condition
15:37as Cotard Syndrome on time and treat him accordingly.
15:39This was a significant development,
15:41especially when you consider that unlike 140 years ago
15:44when Jules Cotard first discovered the syndrome,
15:46treatment options were virtually non-existent.
15:49And while Cotard Syndrome is not officially recognized
15:51as a mental illness in official manuals
15:53like the DSM-5 and the ICD-10
15:55by the World Health Organization,
15:57I came across several studies that suggest
15:59treating the syndrome is possible.
16:01And not only possible, but increasingly effective today
16:03with methods like electroconvulsive treatment
16:06and psychiatric medication.
16:08And with advances in brain imaging technology,
16:10we can hopefully gain a deeper understanding
16:12of the causes of Cotard Syndrome
16:13and find ways to prevent it completely.
16:19Ekbom Syndrome
16:20Ekbom Syndrome, also known as delusional parasitosis,
16:25is a mental health condition
16:26where the patients believe that they're infested
16:28or infected by some kind of insects or parasites.
16:31These can include things like worms, mites, bacteria,
16:34and even mice in some extreme cases.
16:37It's a type of delusional disorder
16:38where the person suffering from the ailment
16:40is convinced that they have these pests
16:42crawling under their skin.
16:44And while Ekbom Syndrome doesn't cause
16:45any direct harm to the patient's body,
16:47it can lead to them hurting their own body
16:49while trying to remove the parasites.
16:52Some can take things even further
16:53and spray themselves with harmful pesticides,
16:55resulting in life-threatening breathing issues.
16:58Luckily, medication and treatments
16:59like antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy
17:02can help with reducing the symptoms
17:04to a more manageable level.
17:06That being said,
17:07there is a harsh and sad reality here.
17:09Delusional parasitosis is defined
17:11by an unshakable false belief.
17:14Those suffering from it are utterly convinced
17:16that parasites are invading their bodies,
17:18despite all evidence to the contrary.
17:21As a result, most affected individuals
17:22do not accept treatment.
17:24This is exactly what happened
17:26with a 53-year-old woman in Colombia in 2017.
17:28By the time she sought medical help,
17:31she had already been living with Ekbom Syndrome
17:33for five years.
17:34Her symptoms included depression,
17:36constant itchiness,
17:37and even visual hallucinations.
17:39She also explained how she'd been using
17:41various toxic chemicals to clean her skin and clothes
17:44in an effort to get rid of the parasites
17:45living in her body,
17:46but nothing worked.
17:48In addition to all of this,
17:49she also brought a sample of what she claimed
17:50to be the parasites.
17:52But testing these specimens showed
17:54that they were nothing more than dried skin,
17:56likely sun that she peeled off.
17:58And when the results of blood tests
17:59came clear as well,
18:00the physician tried to explain to her
18:02that this was a mental disorder
18:03and recommended a psychiatric evaluation.
18:06However, she was completely convinced
18:08that the parasites were real.
18:10So, when the doctors didn't agree
18:11with her evaluation,
18:12she stopped responding
18:13and didn't go through
18:14with any treatment for a condition.
18:16Hopefully, that woman received
18:17the medical attention she needed
18:18and is now living without
18:19this excruciating disorder.
18:21Though, given how she responded
18:23upon first learning the truth,
18:24I highly doubt that's the case.
18:30Visual agnosia
18:31Visual agnosia is a rare
18:33vision-related disorder
18:34where the affected individual
18:36has trouble recognizing objects.
18:38They can still technically see something
18:39that's in front of them,
18:40but they can't identify what the object is
18:42or at least identify it correctly.
18:44I see colors, shapes,
18:48punctuated by faces,
18:50the faces of people
18:51which I really recognize
18:52and they stand out much more
18:53than anything else.
18:54That's why I can't read words
18:56or read music anymore.
18:58So, I still can imagine
18:59what that looks like
19:00in my mind's eye,
19:01but I can't imagine
19:02what it looks like
19:03or I can't see what it looks like
19:04when I look at it.
19:05So, essentially,
19:06I find things through color.
19:08Someone suffering from visual agnosia
19:10might see a chair
19:11and mistake it for a small child.
19:13Though, this is an extreme example.
19:15In most cases,
19:16the patient often confuses
19:17an object with something
19:18of a similar general shape,
19:19like seeing a pink smartphone
19:21and believing that it's a bar of soap.
19:22There are also several subcategories
19:24of this disorder
19:25for people who have difficulty
19:26perceiving a certain type of object.
19:28People suffering from alexia,
19:29for example,
19:30cannot distinguish between different words
19:32and see all text
19:33as essentially the same thing.
19:35Similarly,
19:35patients with environmental agnosia
19:37have trouble recognizing
19:38their surroundings,
19:39which makes it almost impossible
19:40for them to go anywhere on their own.
19:42Visual agnosia is fascinating
19:43not just because of how it affects perception,
19:45but because it gives us a glimpse
19:47into the intricate workings of the brain
19:48and what happens
19:49when those processes break down.
19:51In rare cases,
19:52it can be triggered by trauma,
19:53such as a head injury or stroke.
19:55However,
19:56the more common cause
19:57is simply aging,
19:58particularly in conditions like dementia
19:59that impact the brain's ability
20:01to process and interpret visual information.
20:03It's not like the patient wakes up one day
20:05and is unable to recognize
20:06the objects around them.
20:07Instead,
20:08it starts off small
20:09with occasional misidentifications
20:10before growing rapidly with age.
20:12And this is precisely what happens
20:14to the most popular case
20:15of visual agnosia,
20:16which was documented
20:17by the neurologist Oliver Sacks
20:19in his book titled
20:20The Man Who Mistook His Wife
20:21for a Hat.
20:22The title of the book
20:23is also in reference
20:24to the person suffering
20:25from visual agnosia,
20:26who Oliver referred to as Mr. P,
20:28who I'll just call Peter
20:29for simplicity's sake.
20:30Now,
20:31Peter was a singer
20:31and a musician
20:32who became a music teacher
20:33in his later years.
20:35And it was during his time at school
20:36that the first signs
20:37of his visual issues
20:38began to appear.
20:39Sometimes a student
20:40would stand in front of him
20:41and Peter wouldn't recognize them.
20:43More specifically,
20:44he wouldn't recognize
20:44the student's face.
20:46It would stay that way
20:47until the students spoke
20:48at which point Peter
20:48could identify them
20:49by their voice.
20:50This often caused
20:51misunderstandings
20:52and frustrations for Peter,
20:53but he often laughed it off
20:55and didn't pay much attention to it.
20:56However,
20:57his situation became
20:58a whole lot worse
20:59as time went on.
21:00Not only was he failing
21:01to identify the faces around him,
21:03but he also began
21:04to see faces
21:04where there were none.
21:06It got to the point
21:06that on some occasions,
21:07he padded things like
21:08fire hydrants
21:09and parking meters
21:10thinking that they were his students.
21:12But this blurring of reality
21:13didn't stop there.
21:14As the condition progressed,
21:16Peter became increasingly delusional.
21:18He began speaking
21:18to ornate carvings on chairs,
21:20expecting a response
21:21and expressing surprise
21:22when none came.
21:24This went on
21:24for nearly three years
21:25as Peter kept ignoring the issue
21:27and deluding himself
21:28into thinking that it was normal.
21:29And it wasn't until
21:30Peter developed diabetes
21:31and sought help
21:32from an ophthalmologist
21:33concerned that his eyesight
21:35might be failing
21:35that the truth came out.
21:37Fortunately,
21:38after hearing Peter's bizarre
21:39and fragmented
21:40descriptions of his vision,
21:41the ophthalmologist realized
21:42the problem wasn't
21:43with Peter's eyes,
21:44but with his brain.
21:46He referred Peter
21:46to Oliver Sacks
21:47for further diagnosis.
21:49Upon his visit,
21:50Oliver gave him
21:50a National Geographic magazine
21:52and asked him
21:52to describe what he saw in it.
21:54According to the case report,
21:56Peter was able
21:56to discern finer details
21:58like colors,
21:59brightness,
21:59and shapes of objects
22:00in a scene.
22:01But when asked
22:02to describe the scene
22:03as a whole,
22:03his mind drew a blank.
22:05However,
22:06the most bizarre part
22:06of his visit
22:07came near the end
22:08when Peter was about to leave.
22:09He reached out
22:10and grabbed the head
22:11of his wife
22:12who came with him
22:12and tried to put her
22:13on his head.
22:15In other words,
22:15Peter had just
22:16misidentified his own wife
22:18as a literal hat.
22:19This confirmed
22:20beyond a doubt
22:21that Peter was dealing
22:22with visual agnosia.
22:23And unfortunately,
22:24while the diagnosis
22:25was accurate,
22:26Oliver had no treatment
22:27to offer
22:27that could improve
22:28his condition.
22:29With no other choice,
22:30Peter adapted
22:31by relying on his other senses
22:32to recognize people
22:33for the rest of his life.
22:35It goes to show
22:36just how adaptable
22:36humans are,
22:37even when faced
22:38with something
22:38as terrifying
22:39as visual agnosia.
22:44Truman Show Delusion
22:46Truman Show Delusion
22:47is an exceedingly rare
22:49and fairly recent
22:50mental disorder
22:50where the patient
22:51believes that they're
22:52the protagonist
22:52of a reality TV show.
22:54In their minds,
22:55the world around them
22:56is nothing more
22:57than an elaborate set
22:58with hundreds
22:58of hidden cameras
22:59to capture their reaction
23:00to various events.
23:01The name of the disorder
23:02comes from the 1998 movie
23:04starring Jim Carrey
23:05called The Truman Show.
23:07For those who haven't seen it,
23:08the plot of the movie
23:08revolves around Truman
23:10who's adopted
23:10by a corporation at birth.
23:12This corporation
23:13then builds
23:13a secluded island
23:14with thousands of cameras
23:16and broadcasts
23:17every second
23:17of Truman's life
23:18for the whole world to see.
23:20Now,
23:20there are some differences
23:21between individual cases,
23:23but for the most part,
23:24almost all patients believe
23:25that they're the real-life
23:26version of Truman.
23:27When asked,
23:28this is how one of the people
23:29suffering from the delusion
23:30described their mindset.
23:32I realized that I was
23:33and am the center,
23:34the focus of attention
23:35by millions
23:36and millions of people.
23:37My family
23:38and everyone I knew
23:39was and are actors
23:40in a script,
23:41a charade
23:42whose entire purpose
23:43is to make me the focus
23:44of the world's attention.
23:45Medically,
23:46the Truman Show delusion
23:47is a symptom of psychosis
23:48and could also serve
23:49as an early sign
23:50of schizophrenia.
23:51And while there have been
23:52many cases of this delusion
23:53over the years,
23:54few are as significant
23:55as Albert's.
23:57Albert was a 26-year-old
23:58from western Pennsylvania
23:59who was leading
24:00a fairly normal life.
24:01He worked at a nearby
24:02assembly plant
24:03and lived with his parents.
24:04But one day in 2002,
24:06he decided to travel
24:07to New York
24:07and tried to enter
24:08the United Nations building.
24:10When a guard stopped him
24:11from going any further,
24:12he punched the guard
24:12and was later taken
24:13to the Bellevue
24:14Psychiatric Hospital.
24:15And that's where
24:16Joel Gold,
24:16who was a psychiatrist,
24:18and Ian Gold,
24:19who worked as a
24:19neurophilosopher,
24:20discovered the truth
24:21about Albert's condition.
24:22As it turns out,
24:23Albert believed
24:24that he was the main character
24:25of his very own TV show
24:27and everyone around him,
24:28including his parents,
24:29were nothing more than actors.
24:31He also revealed
24:32that the showrunners
24:33were watching his every move
24:34through tiny wireless cameras
24:35that were implanted
24:36in his eyes.
24:37His delusion got to the point
24:39where he believed
24:39that the 9-11 incident
24:40was just a staged plot twist
24:42to make the show
24:43more interesting.
24:44And before getting arrested,
24:45he was trying to escape the show
24:47by asking the UN for help,
24:48which is why he traveled
24:49over 200 miles
24:50to New York City.
24:52Albert was later identified
24:53as the first documented case
24:54of a newly recognized
24:55mental disorder,
24:56eventually named
24:57Truman Show Delusion.
24:59The Gold brothers
24:59have since diagnosed
25:00several hundred people
25:02with the same delusional disorder.
25:04And sadly,
25:04as cameras become smaller
25:06and surveillance
25:06more widespread,
25:07it's hard to imagine
25:08the frequency of these cases
25:10decreasing anytime soon.