Psychiatric conditions and their origins
Mental health issues have always been veiled and hidden. There are so many questions and so few answers. For example, have you ever wondered how the names of psychiatric terms were born? Like, a big fancy part of them was given names thanks to Ancient Greeks. So we delved deeper and found some stories behind the terms.
Stockholm Syndrome.
Movies to check: In time (2011), King Kong (1976/2005), The Collector (1965), Stockholm (2018), Money Heist (2017), Labor day (2013)
The term “Stockholm Syndrome’’ was first coined in 1973. Two men held four people hostage for 6 days during a bank robbery in Stockholm. After the hostages were released, they refused to testify against their captors and even paid for their lawyers.
Stockholm Syndrome is an emotional state when hostages or abuse victims bond with their captors or abusers and sympathize with them.
Oedipus complex and Electra complex.
Movies to check: The Reader (2008), I’m Glad My Mother Is Alive (2009), Mommy (2014), Lolita (1962), American beauty (1999), Why women kill (2019), Poison Ivy (1992)
According to Freud, one of the most common personality disorders is the Oedipus complex named after the Greek king. Oedipus’ father was prophesied that he would die by his son’s hand so he tried to get rid of the baby. Oedipus was saved by a shepherd. He grew into a strong man, went on a pilgrimage where he accidentally encountered and killed his father, and later married his own mother. The Oedipus complex refers to a boy’s unconscious sexual attraction to his mother and hostility towards his father.
Electra complex is the inversion of the Oedipus complex. It’s an emotional condition of a girl who worships her father and hates her mother. The term is derived from the Greek myth of Electra and her brother Orestes, who plotted the death of their mother as revenge for their father’s murder.
Narcissism.
Movies to check: My king (2015), Cruel Intentions (1999), Gone Girl (2014), Dorian Gray (2009), Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937), American Psycho (2000)
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) involves a pattern of self-centered and arrogant thinking and behavior. It’s also characterized by a lack of empathy for other people, an excessive need for admiration and a fixation with oneself. Others often describe people with NPD as cocky, manipulative, selfish, patronizing and demanding.
The term comes from the Greek myth about Narcissus. He was a beautiful young man who dared to reject the love of the nymph Echo. Gods wanted to avenge their beloved nymph and vowed Narcissus to never be loved. He fell in love with his own reflection. It was such a painful travail not to have the object of his desire that he ended up killing himself. There was only a beautiful flower left in his stead.
Diogenes syndrome.
Movies to check: Toc Toc (2017), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), Hoarding: Buried Alive (2011–2014), Clutter (2013), Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer (2006)
People suffering from this syndrome tend to isolate themselves from society. They are stingy and tend to collect rubbish. The name derives from Diogenes of Sinope, an ancient Greek philosopher who used to live in a large jar in Athens. Nonetheless, he was not a hermit — he had frequent social connections.
Baby duck syndrome.
Movies to check: Whiplash (2014), The Great Gatsby (2013), Kon-Tiki (2012), Kung Fu Panda (2008)
This term is usually used to describe a person who considers the first object he sees to be the best a priori. The subsequent ones would always seem to be worse. For example, people tend to like the app they have just downloaded, but they are usually not so into new updates.
This syndrome owes its name to ducklings because baby ducks take for their mother the first thing they see after birth.
Dorian Gray syndrome.
Movies to check: Dorian Gray (2009), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Dark Shadows (2012), The Other Woman (2014)
This syndrome is about people who have difficulties accepting their age and are always trying to look younger. Being forever young and beautiful is their life purpose. The name of the syndrome refers to the protagonist of the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. It is a story of a very handsome young man who gave his soul to the devil so he never gets old.
Cinderella complex.
Movies to check: Pretty Woman (1990), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), Brave (2012), Hidden Figures (2016), Moana (2016)
Most girls have been dreaming in their childhood about living in a fairy tale and meeting their Prince Charming. But girls grow up and face reality. At least some of them.
The Cinderella complex is an emotional state when a woman continues to live in her childhood dreams. She refuses to take responsibility for her actions and keeps waiting for an ideal partner who will solve all her problems.
