Clinical Licanthropy Symptoms, causes, treatment and real cases

Clinical Licanthropy Symptoms, causes, treatment and real cases

The mind of the human being has the possibility of creating multiple scenarios in which he acquires different papers. Sometimes we think we have different personality types. We can also believe that we are not people, but animals that have their own abilities. There are legends that talk about how a man can transform into an animal. ¿You have ever heard about the werewolf? Although the legend of the werewolf seems to be a fictional story, the truth is that it is a psychological disorder that can affect the human being. ¿You want to know more about this? In this Psychology-online article, we will give you information about Clinical lycanthropy, its symptoms, causes, treatment and real cases.

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  1. What is clinical lycanthropy
  2. Clinical Licantropy Symptoms
  3. Causes of Clinical Licanthropy
  4. Treatment of clinical lycanthropy
  5. Real Cases of Clinical Licanthropy

What is clinical lycanthropy

First, let's see what clinical lycanthropy means in psychology. Although clinical lycanthropy is especially associated with the transformation of the person into a wolf, the truth is that there are also other animals within this disorder. Following this, The patient may believe that he becomes a wolf, A cat, a hyena, a tiger, a horse, a toad, a dog, a sheep, a cow, a wolf, a pig, a bee, a bird and even in a snake, among others.

¿What is a person who believes to be an animal is called? In general, the term used is "transpecie", and in the specific case of the wolves, the term "lycanthrope" is used.

Currently, clinical lycanthropy could be considered as A type of psychosis, I mean, like A mental illness that affects people who have hallucinations and delusions.

In the following article, you will find information about what psychosis, its symptoms, causes and treatment is.

Clinical Licantropy Symptoms

¿How to know if you have lycanthropy? ¿How a person with clinical lycanthropy behaves? Often we can find some symptoms that appear in those people suffering from this clinical picture. Next, we will describe the most important.

  • Have similar behaviors to those of the animal in which they believe they were transformed. For example, if the person thinks that he is a wolf, he can move on all fours, growl, perform similar sounds, among others.
  • In certain moments of lucidity, the patient can mention that a specific animal feels. This does not mean that he is lying, but that he is convinced that he is an animal.

Given the presence of these symptoms, it is important to go to a mental health service such as a hospital with a psychiatry and psychology service since the consultation with a professional is required to determine if it is a case of clinical lycanthropy.

Causes of Clinical Licanthropy

We could locate some factors that affect the emergence of this pathology. The way in which they develop will depend on the characteristics of each person as Sex, age, clinical history, predisposition to the development of organic diseases, family history, among others. We will describe the possible most relevant causes of clinical lycanthropy:

Neurological alterations

It has been studied that patients who said they felt like animals had lesions in certain areas of the brain such as the brain, Area in charge of sensory and motor perception. This results in damage to the somatosensory cortex, which implies that people with these alterations have a different understanding of their body, their mind and their surroundings.

Historical and cultural facts

Clinical lycanthropy can also have its origin in certain rituals made in antiquity as the imitation of the behaviors of the wolves to obtain qualities that could improve survival. In other words, we were looking to have the fierceness and strength of the wolves to survive. It is possible that people who present these characteristics look for ways of facing situations of great stress and anxiety.

Expression of hidden ideas and emotions

Psychoanalysis seeks the origin of certain problems of the human being. From this perspective, the fact that the person feels an animal can be linked to A way to show sensations of anger and aggressiveness that are not shown in everyday life for being part of a society in which there are norms of coexistence.

Treatment of clinical lycanthropy

There are some treatments that can help people who have clinical lycanthontropy. It is important that we know that the indication of the treatment should be performed by a health professional since this will allow precise monitoring of the patient's evolution at all times taking into account the main characteristics. The treatments available for clinical lycanthropy are:

Pharmacology

The supply of some psychiatric medication can be useful for this type of paintings. Generally, it's about antipsychotic medications that reduce the symptoms that appear in lycanthropy since they act in the body blocking dopamine reception, A neurotransmitter of the brain in charge of motor and emotional reactions. Some antipsychotics are sulpirid and wave. In the following article, you can see what dopamine is and what are its functions.

Psychotherapy

Therapy can help solve situations that could cause unpleasant sensations in the past. There are several types of psychotherapies such as short -term therapies, psychoanalysis, among others. In the case of lycanthropy, a therapy can serve For the person to understand how hidden emotions manifest at the time of believing an animal.

Real Cases of Clinical Licanthropy

There have been some real cases throughout history. However, the best known case is that of Manuel Blanco Rosamanta, better known as "The Galician Werewolf Murder". Around 1870, this man came to kill thirteen people during his journeys through the forests of Galicia. However, when the final sentence for him was ruled, he was not granted in jail because The judges considered that he was really a werewolf.

Today, advances in medicine and psychology allow adequate treatment to people suffering from this clinical picture.

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This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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