Micropsia

Micropsia

1. Disclaimer: This a project for a high school AP Psychology course. This is a fictionalized account of having a psychological ailment. For questions about this blog project or its content please email the teacher, Laura Astorian : [email protected]

2. Micropsia MY disease

3. Micropsia is commonly called Alice in wonderland syndrome

4. What is micropsia? Caused by changes in the brain, micropsia affects human visual perception making things appear much smaller than their true size. There is also a disease called macropsia in which human visual perception makes things appear much larger. This disease is the opposite of micropsia.

5. Who usually has micropsia? Mostly adolescent boys

6. How can we diagnose micropsia? Neurological testing Symptoms are usually caused by Migraines Epilepsy Drug Use Brain Tumors Etc.

7. Can it be Treated? There are many causes of micropsia, so the treatments for this disease vary. Degenerative- requires surgery Psychiatric conditions- psychoactive drugs Migraine- usually disappears when migraine fades Epilepsy- anti-seizure medication I take C arbatrol to help my seizures, but I still suffer from micropsia.

8. Do people suffer from Macropsia or micropsia or both? Usually, both… Different people have different experiences, but micropsia is usually experienced along with macropsia episodes. Visual Fields’ Effects

9. What percent of people are affected by micropsia? Episodes of  micropsia  or macropsia occur in  9 % of  adolescents .

10. My experience with micropsia

11. When I wake up… I wake up to a loud alarm coming from a tiny clock…

12. When I take a shower… At this point, I’ve begun to adjust, but it is still hard to wrap my head around what is happening.

13. When I brush my teeth… While I am well aware that the toothbrush isn’t this small, my brain perceives it this way, so I can’t perceive it any other way.

14. When I eat breakfast… Everything looks like a meal for a small animal. I feel like I shouldn’t be full after my meals, but I always am.

15. When I go to school… Because micropsia throws off my depth perception, I am unable to drive, so my mom has to drive me.

16. When I’m at school… Everything is so small. I struggle to see the board, so I have to sit really close to the board. Because I have special seating, I don’t get to spend much time with friends.

17. Afterschool… I am unable to participate in many extracurricular because of my disease, so I usually go straight home. Its hard to play instruments and extremely difficult to play sports.

18. Doing Homework… Doing homework is harder with my disease, but to maintain a normal life, it is necessary. It takes longer than it should and I sometimes need help when typing a paper.

19. How my family helps… My family helps me get through a lot. My mom and dad are both committed to me leading a normal-as-possible-lifestyle. I can tell they are worried about me though. I don’t want to make them help me for forever.

20. My Micropsia Micropsia has changed my life. It has made my life much more difficult, but there is a chance I will grow out of it. I’m worried about my future, but I will always have a great support system through my family.

21. Micropsia changes lives This a project for a high school AP Psychology course. This is a fictionalized account of having a psychological ailment. For questions about this blog project or its content please email the teacher, Laura Astorian : [email protected]