Do you know what ‘Alice in Wonderland’ syndrome is? This Pune man can tell you all about it

The condition is so rare that one in one million people have the disorder.

For the past six months, a 63-year-old man started having recurrent hallucinations of being attacked by hundreds of men. However, what was even strange was the size of the imaginary men – who were about the size of his fingers.

Hailing from Pune, Maharashtra, the man told his family about his hallucinations. Finding it quite normal, the family initially didn’t give much thought to it, but as the episodes recurred frequently, they decided to seek medical help. After months of treatment, the hallucinations have stopped and doctors say he has almost recovered.

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The doctors diagnosed him with Lilliputian hallucinations in which people or things look much smaller than their actual size. The rare neurological condition makes the patient see distorted visuals and hallucinations which they don’t know are an illusion.

It is also called the “Alice in Wonderland” syndrome, a condition where visual perception is altered. Named after the famous children’s book “Alice in Wonderland”, where the main character Alice goes through metamorphic changes after eating or drinking particular foods and liquids.

The man who was experiencing the hallucination at least two times a day lasting five minutes each, was taken for a psychiatric evaluation.

Patil said in an interview, “Around 200 people used to attack me. They were very small in size. My family members say that I then used to shout at them in a very loud voice. I am a retired person, and I stay home all the time. In a day, at least twice, I used to get a thought that I am being attacked by tiny people. Now, I can sleep peacefully and I do not get any thoughts that I am being attacked.”

The condition is so rare that one in one million people have the disorder.

Dr Dharmendra Kendre, a neuropsychiatrist from Noble Hospital who treated the patient, said, “Lilliputian hallucination is nothing but a false perception about things without stimulus. This can happen because of intake of certain drugs like cocaine and cannabis. Metabolic or electrolyte imbalance can also cause this hallucination. We can also see such cases in people with temporal lobe brain tumours, dementia and schizophrenia.”

The doctor said that treatment is offered according to the cause behind the hallucination. In this case, the medics believe that the hallucinations were caused by some post-traumatic stress. “He has been taking treatment for the last three months. We have prescribed him antipsychotic medicines and counselling sessions. In the case of senior citizens, even post-traumatic stress or prolonged sleeplessness can cause Lilliputian hallucination. In such cases, patients should immediately visit a psychiatrist for early recovery,” Dr Kendre added.

The man has now fully recovered after several months of medication and counselling.

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