9 Stunning Disorders You Never Heard of

9 Stunning Disorders you never heard of

Here are the 9 Surprising Syndromes.

Do you know the symptoms of Jerusalem Syndrome? How about the Laughing Sickness? Do you know anyone with Foreign Accent Syndrome? Throughout history, people have suffered from various rare disorders that you've probably never even heard of!

1. Alien Hand Syndrome

No, this isn't a disorder where a slimy green hand sprouts out of your stomach and attempts to take over the world. But it's still pretty strange! People who suffer from alien hand syndrome often believe that one of their hands has a mind of its own.

Those with the disorder will witness one of their hands acting out in ways that are beyond the person's control. They often will say that they feel their hand is possessed, while the other hand functions completely normally.

2. Foreign Accent Syndrome

Foreign accent syndrome is an extremely rare disorder in which a person suddenly begins to naturally speak with a foreign accent. These folks are not randomly able to speak foreign languages (which would be pretty awesome, right?); they only sound like they are from a foreign country.

For example, a woman with a New York American accent might one day, without any effort on her part, begin speaking as if she was born and raised in France. She still speaks the English language, but her voice literally resembles that of a French woman who is trying to speak English.

                    

3. Sexsomnia Disorder

Have you ever woken up next to someone after a night of heavy drinking and wondered what shenanigans you got into the night before? Imagine waking up to find that you had sex with someone while you were 100% asleep, no drinking or partying involved.

That's what happens to people with sexsomnia, otherwise known as "sleep sex"! People who suffer from sexsomnia will perform all sorts of sexual acts while asleep, including:

• Fondling
• Masturbation
• Oral sex
• Heterosexual or homosexual intercourse

Wouldn't it be insane to believe you're a virgin and then find out you're having a baby, all because you had sex during your sleep? Talk about a rude awakening!

                      

4. Kuru, The "Laughing Sickness"

At one point or another I think we've all joked that we were about to "die laughing," but can that actually happen in real life? Though a few people have genuinely died from laughing too hard for too long, others have come down with a legitimate disease called kuru.

Don't worry, though! The chances are extremely slim of you coming down with the "laughing sickness" anytime soon. Why, you ask? Well, here are the facts:

Kuru mostly occurred in Papua New Guinea during the mid-20th century.

It was transmitted during cannibalistic funeral rituals performed by the Fore tribe.

The last remaining sufferer died in 2005.

5. Jerusalem Syndrome

This one is particularly bizarre. Some tourists who travel to Israel have come down with Jerusalem syndrome, in which they begin having hallucinations and delusions regarding religious symbolism.

Most sufferers are part of Christian, Jewish, or Muslim faith traditions, and symptoms/stages of the disorder include:

• A need to be "pure," with obsessive bathing, fingernail cutting, and shaving
• Preparation of a white toga-esque gown, usually formed from hotel sheets
• Delivering a sermon in a Holy place
• Desire to tour Jerusalem alone, apart from the travel group
• Loudly singing hymns or shouting Bible verses
• Some even believe themselves to be specific religious characters, such as the virgin Mary, Jesus, or John the Baptist.

6. Coprolalia

Chances are you've probably uttered a swear word once or twice in your life, right? Maybe quite a bit more than that, if you're particularly ornery. But do you ever let one slip without thinking? Do you blast out a few choice words when you stub your toe?

That's not the same as coprolalia! People who suffer from this disorder involuntarily say obscene words, racist or homophobic remarks, or taboo statements. This is sometimes, but not always, affiliated with Tourette syndrome.

It's one thing to swear on purpose, but wouldn't it be embarrassing to swear when you don't want to?

7. Pica Slide

Have you ever watched 'My Strange Addiction' and been utterly disgusted at some of the things people will eat? Well, that behavior isn't just for TV! Pica is a disorder in which people become hungry for non-nutritive substances.

Some subtypes of this disorder include:

• Self-cannibalism - Body parts
• Coprophagy - Feces
• Geophagy - Clay, soil, chalk
• Urophagia - Urine
• Trichophagia - Hair, wool
• Xylophagia - Wood, paper
• Hyalophagia - Glass

8. Genital Retraction Syndrome

Even the name of this mental disorder sounds painful! People who suffer from Genital Retraction Syndrome are overwhelmingly afraid that their penis (or other genitalia) will shrink, retract, or disappear completely.

This disorder mostly occurs in men who live in Southeast Asia. Many afflicted people have injured themselves while attempting to stave off genital retraction, even though physical exams showed no signs of their imagined shrinkage.

9. Walking Corpse Syndrome

Love zombie movies? Ever wondered how you would fare in a zombie apocalypse? You'll be interested to learn that people who suffer from Walking Corpse Syndrome believe that:

• They are dead.
• They don't exist.
• They don't have blood or internal organs.
• They are immortal.
• They may not actually be zombies, but in their minds they might as well be!