Alice in Wonderland Syndrome – What Is It?
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome – What Is It?
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, also known as Todd’s syndrome or Lilliputian Hallucinations, can be frightening to those who experience it. You might have Alice in Wonderland Syndrome if you have ever woken to find everything was three times bigger than normal or you are taller or shorter. AWS is a sleep disorder characterized by the perception of objects being different sizes from how they appear to others when you wake up. It’s common to feel things are larger or smaller than they actually are, but with AWS, there is no set pattern to how this happens.
Introduction to the Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is a medical condition affecting a person’s perception of space and time. The name comes from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which features a scene where Alice appears to grow larger or smaller depending on her location relative to a flower. Patients who experience AIWS report similar perceptual distortions, such as perceiving objects as much bigger or smaller than they actually are. In addition to distorted perceptions of size, patients may also experience distorted perceptions of time. This can manifest itself in many ways, including a feeling that events are taking longer than they actually are or an inability to gauge how long ago something occurred. Some patients even feel like their body has changed shape or become deformed. These symptoms can be extremely disorienting for patients. They may interfere with their ability to perform basic tasks like driving or reading.
Causes and Symptoms of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
According to Mayo Clinic, other symptoms include muscle weakness, loss of coordination, difficulty talking and walking, and numbness or pain. Symptoms may begin suddenly or develop over time. Stress and use of alcohol may contribute to episodes. Alice in Wonderland syndrome typically affects young people under 25 years old. The exact cause isn’t known; however, heredity or a head injury are suspected triggers for some cases. To date, there’s no cure for Alice in Wonderland syndrome; however, treating any underlying conditions can help reduce symptoms.
Effects on Children
Children suffering from Alice in Wonderland syndrome can have a harder time than adults trying to fit into society. It’s not that they don’t like people. Still, some children with AWS may be afraid of unfamiliar environments or certain objects. Children suffering from AIS may also need extra help with attention, organization, and social interaction. In rare cases, some children with Alice in Wonderland syndrome also deal with OCD and phobias. If you think your child might suffer from Alice in Wonderland syndrome, talk to their doctor immediately. That way, you can get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
Treatment Options
The disorder may disappear completely or have a relapsing and remitting course. Treatment options include medication, coping skills training, therapy, support groups, and ancillary therapies such as acupuncture or yoga. If there are no underlying causes for your symptoms, medications are available that might reduce them. In some severe cases, if no other treatments have worked, surgery might be necessary to treat seizures or balance and walking problems caused by the syndrome.
Medications commonly used to treat AIWS include antidepressants and anticonvulsants; however, their use has not been well studied. In some cases of drug-induced Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, secondary to medications like benzodiazepines and steroids, discontinuation of offending medicines may be enough to alleviate symptoms. However, additional treatments may be necessary when no offending agent can be identified.
Prevention Tips
Alice in Wonderland syndrome is caused by damage to an area of your brain called the hypothalamus. A common symptom of all Alice in Wonderland syndrome cases is a balance disruption, which can affect your ability to walk and stay upright. Because you may feel like you’re on a boat during an episode, it’s sometimes known as a sea-legs syndrome or mal de debarquement. To prevent future attacks of Alice in Wonderland syndrome, try practicing good posture and working on strength training to build stability. If you have a history of epilepsy, make sure your doctor knows about any symptoms you experience, so they can be diagnosed correctly.
Where to Find Help
If you experience these symptoms, visit your doctor to confirm your suspicions. After being diagnosed, contact a psychotherapist specializing in trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Alice in Wonderland syndrome can be brought on by PTSD—another effect of experiencing trauma. A PTSD therapist can help you come to terms with and overcome whatever emotional effects may have been left behind by your trauma and Alice in Wonderland syndrome.
Support
At the time of posting, I could not find a good resource for support groups here in the USA. There is a Facebook support group I found, but I can not vouch for it. You will have to decide for yourself if it is helpful. If you know of any help organizations or support groups, please email me, so I can include them in this post.