A person with Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) has a rare brain disorder that alters their perception of their surroundings, themselves, or both. Precisely, this individual perceives objects to be smaller or larger than how they appear. This condition got its name from the iconic children’s story and has numerous triggers. Unlike other disorders, someone with AIWS tends to recover since the disorder has temporary or treatable underlying causes.
Understanding Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
AIWS most impacts children as it occurs in nearly 2/3rds of individuals under the age of eighteen. Likewise, people with other brain disorders have a heightened risk of getting AIWS. Overall, there isn’t much research on AIWS due to its rarity, however, around 30% of teenagers have experienced brief episodes. Fortunately, it’s unlikely for AIWS to give someone serious health issues as less than two hundred affected individuals needed medical attention from 1955 to 2016.
Sadly, various problems surrounding AIWS make it difficult for researchers to understand. Specifically, its causes and temporary nature make diagnosing someone with the disorder challenging. Not only that but researchers have yet to determine the diagnostic criteria one has to meet to get proper support and treatment.
3 Main Symptoms
There are three main types of symptoms someone with AIWS may exhibit, affecting their visual processing and perception. These three types are self-perception disturbances, visual procession disturbances, and combined symptoms. Firstly, self-perception disturbances account for nearly 9% of cases and involve misperceptions of one’s body size, looks, emotions, reality, and time. In contrast, visual processing disturbances are the most prevalent type, comprising over 70% of total cases, mostly affecting the brain’s way of interpreting surroundings. Lastly, combined symptoms refer to a person impacted by both types.
Visual Perception
Similarly, someone with AIWS can have symptoms that can either disrupt their self-perception or visual perception. Notable, a person with symptoms impacting their visual perception is more common between the two. These symptoms affect how someone perceives an object’s size by seeing things as larger (macropsia) or smaller (micropsia).
Likewise, they can have altered perceptions of distance: seeing things as far away (teleopsia) or up close (pelopsia). Additionally, an altered perception of distance and size is called photopsia, and seeing others as smaller than they appear is known as lilliputanism. An individual can also perceive objects to be distorted, have squiggly or wavy lines, or consist of skewed orientations.
Self-Perception
These symptoms occur when a person’s brain loses the ability to monitor bodily functions correctly, leading to various perception issues. Due to these challenges, a person may develop macrosomatognosia, a feeling of being too big. Conversely, they can get microsomatognosia, a feeling of being too small.
Another symptom impacting self-perception is derealization as this individual can feel disconnected from reality. On the other hand, they can struggle with depersonalization, where they feel disconnected from their own body, emotions, or thoughts. Lastly, they can struggle with somatopsychic duality, that they’ve been split into two distinct parts. This feeling disrupts their sense of time or alters their ability to judge the passing of time.
Causes
Currently, researchers are investigating the underlying factors of AIWS as its exact causes remain unclear. Still, several circumstances and conditions are believed to contribute to its development. Certain types of headaches including abdominal migraines and cluster headaches may trigger AIWS due to their aura. A child may develop AIWS due to particular infections such as influenza, typhoid fever, scarlet, and Lyme disease, and the Epstein-Barr virus. What’s more? Even conditions that cause seizures such as strokes or epilepsy, and mental health disorders like depression or schizophrenia can lead to AIWS.
While its exact causes remain unclear, several health conditions and circumstances can contribute. If someone is on certain medications, they may also be at risk, especially if they’re using cough, asthma, or anti-seizure medications. In the same way, doing recreational drugs, particularly inhalants such as toluene or LSD can be an influence as well. Although it’s rare for a person with brain tumors or diseases to become prone to developing AIWS, it can still happen regardless.
The Story Behind AIWS
English psychiatrist, John Todd, was the first to identify and name AIWS in 1955, drawing inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” This 1865 classic children’s book follows a young woman who experiences numerous distorted images and perceptions of reality. Comparatively, a person with this disorder undergoes the same alteration of their surroundings and size that Alice experiences, except it’s in their head.
Due to these similarities, many medical researchers suggest Dodgson may have had the disorder himself. In fact, Dodgson’s diary has entries where he explains symptoms found in AIWs or underlying conditions. However, since Dodgson passed in 1898, researchers cannot be sure. Despite these speculations, Dodgson’s writings and potential health conditions are still heavily debated among researchers.
Final Thoughts
Treatments for AIWS shouldn’t be avoided once symptoms set in, as a person affected by this condition can be cured. Due to its short-lived and temporary nature, any concerns about AIWS can be addressed. An individual with this disorder should seek a medical professional to get the help they need to alleviate symptoms and improve their flawed perception. For insight directly from someone who self-identifies as having AIWS and has children who also experience the syndrome, an article in the New York Times headquarters in New York, New York, highlights her experience well.
Disclaimer: This article is intended simply to provide information. It does not replace the medical advice of a physician or other medical professional. Please speak with your doctor or therapist if you have any questions or concerns.
