8 Bizarre Psychological Disorders Affecting Modern Man

7. Paris Syndrome

Sci-fi movies aren't your thing? You€™re far from safe; a holiday in a beautiful capital city might be all it takes. Since 1986, psychiatrists have reported hundreds of cases of a peculiar condition known as Paris syndrome. This unusual disorder seems to affect tourists and migrants who have arrived in the French capital with an idealised view of the city, particularly Japanese nationals. Specialist Dr Hiroaki Ota describes the condition as a form of culture shock that occurs due to the contrast between the flawless Parisian images presented in Japanese media and the rather imperfect reality of life in large European cities. The symptoms include anxiety, dizziness, disorientation, changes in sex drive, aggressive tendencies and delusions of paranoia, prejudice or grandeur. There are some reported cases of suicidal behaviour or uncharacteristic criminal activity, such as one man who went on a prolonged car-jacking spree having never broken the law in the past. A similar condition known as Jerusalem syndrome is characterised by visitors to Jerusalem entering hysterical, obsessive or psychotic states of a religious nature, even affecting atheists. Sufferers often publicly read psalms, sing hymns or deliver their own sermons and may develop an unhealthy compulsion to be clean, frequently fashioning themselves a robe from white bed linen. As with Paris syndrome, the most effective treatment is to simply return the patient to their home country and recommend plenty of rest. So, it seems a perfectly healthy tourist (ie. you) can arrive in a bustling capital city and, in just a few days or weeks, find themselves plagued by hallucinations, paranoia or generally unhealthy behaviour. I hope my travel insurance covers delusional car theft.