The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 26.2 percent of Americans suffer from some form of mental illness. People have come to associate mental illness with some of the most common disorders such as bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia. Many fail to recognize, however, that there are a vast array of mental disorders, including some so rare that most psychiatric professionals have never encountered them.
Trichotillomania
According to the Mayo Clinic, trichotillomania is a disorder in which people are compelled to pull out their own hair. People afflicted with this rare disorder compulsively pull hair from their head, eyebrows, beards or any other hairy part of their body. People with this disorder often attempt to hide it with wigs, hats or clothing that covers their bald patches. Because of the embarrassing nature of the disorder, sufferers are often hesitant to seek help. New medications have made it possible for people living with this disorder to have some relief.
Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
The National Institute of Rare Disorders (NORD) reports that Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is a disorder in which patients exhibit an extreme startle response to external stimuli. This disorder was first noted in the 19th century in Maine and Canada among a group of French Canadian lumberjacks and is culturally specific to this group. George Miller Beard first discovered this illness around 1878. Beard noted that, when startled, the men would respond to any command given, even if it was to hit a loved one or utter foreign or nonsensical phrases repeatedly. Beard noticed that the condition seemed to be shared among family members, hypothesizing that it may be genetic.
Windigo Psychosis
As with the Jumping Frenchmen, Windigo psychosis is culturally specific, in this case to Native Americans. The anthropology department at Palomar Community College states that this disorder would usually start in the winter months when the community was isolated and food was in short supply. The first symptoms would be loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. The people would then believe that they had been transformed into a Windigo, a mythical creature that could possess humans and turn them into cannibals. The psychosis caused the sufferer to slowly start to believe that people were edible and would cause the person to be afflicted with extreme anxiety. Sufferers fought the compulsion toward cannibalism and often attempted or committed suicide to avoid their descent into cannibalism.
Body Identity Integrity Disorder
In May of 2008, Newsweek reported on a rare mental illness known as Body Identity Integrity Disorder (BIID), a rare condition in which people feel a desire to amputate or paralyze their healthy limbs. While many find it hard to fathom how somebody would want to deliberately maim themselves, there are now a number of online communities where people suffering from the disorder go to talk about their experiences, including how to follow through with an amputation or paralysis. BIID has now been added to a list of several body image disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphia and gender identity disorder.
Cotard's Syndrome
According to the National Institute of Health, Cotard's syndrome was a mental illness in which people held the unshakable belief that they had lost blood, organs or body parts. In many cases, people believed that they were dead, rotting away or soulless. In its most severe form, patients believed that they failed to exist at all and stopped interacting with others around them.
