Strange Diseases

Believe it or not, it is possible to die from a broken heart. The condition, known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, stress cardiomyopathy or simply broken heart syndrome, presents itself when there is a sudden temporary weakening of the heart muscle called myocardium. This condition is usually presented under extreme stress situations and it's commonly associated with anxiety feelings, break-ups or the death of a loved one, hence the name. Although the acute symptoms (congestive heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction) are dangerous if  not treated, patients usually have a succesful recovery after medicinal treatment.

Afraid that you are going bald? Well some people wish they were JUST going bald naturally. There is a mental condition called trichotillomania, in which the patient has a compulsive urge to pull his or her hair off and in some cases eat it. Although the most common place they like to pull is the scalp, there have been cases of hair ripping in the chest, eyebrows, eyelashes, legs, armpits, arms, pubis and beard. The condition is mainly caused by stress or depression or by an obsessive compulsive disorder and can lead to noticeable hair loss and social or functional impairment. Treatment consists mainly in a psycosotial  approach combined with antidepressants or anxiolytics. 

Finally I'd like to talk about a special mental condition called Capgras Delusion. A person with this disease is unable to recognize a friend, spouse or family member because they are absolutely convinced that they have been replaced with an identical substitute. Although this condition is usually present in paranoid schizophrenics, it can also be found in patients with dementia, brain injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, hypothyroidism or migraines. Although loads of theories about the causes of this sickness have been proposed (from Freud's psycosexual approach to severe pathological conditions) the main treatment for Capgras delusions is a permanent interaction with the subject to create therapeutically empathy without validating the delusional system or confronting it directly.