In the famous children's classic "Alice in Wonderland," young Alice comes across a bottle labeled "Drink Me" and takes a sip. Suddenly, she becomes very small. Soon after, she discovers a cake labeled "Eat Me," and upon eating it, she grows to a towering height, almost touching the ceiling. Throughout the book, Alice experiences numerous astonishing events.
This world-renowned children's classic written by Lewis Carroll has been enjoyed for many years, even adapted into movies. Interestingly, it also gave its name to a syndrome. Also known as "Todd" or "dysmetropsia," Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is a neuro-psychological condition. The series of events that unfold in Lewis Carroll's unforgettable work actually depict the experiences of individuals with this syndrome.
Alice in Wonderland Syndrome was first described by psychiatrist John Todd in the 1950s, and more people can learn about this syndrome and the experiences of those affected by it from Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Melek Gözde Luş.
Objects are perceived differently than they are in Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. Dr. Luş explains, "People experiencing Alice in Wonderland Syndrome can perceive their own body parts or objects in their environment differently than they actually are."
She continues, "Distortions occur in features that contribute to our awareness of objects, such as shape, size, movement, or color. This syndrome can also lead to changes in hearing, touch, and time perception."
Dr. Luş describes that the perceptual issues in individuals with Alice in Wonderland Syndrome are not limited to these:
"People may experience micropsia, perceiving objects as smaller than they actually are; or macropsia, perceiving objects as larger than their real size. Teleopsia and pelopsia can also occur... In teleopsia, surrounding objects appear farther away than they are, while pelopsia leads to experiencing objects as extremely close. Additionally, auditory hallucinations can be part of the syndrome. These types of hallucinations arise from the distortion of perceived sounds. These perceptual changes can result in hearing strange music or sounds."
