Israel is once again making headlines around the world following brutal attacks carried out by a terrorist group. Hamas. This is interesting because these are the only crimes that make headlines. Those who continually commit acts against the Palestinian people They go unnoticed day after day. When there is no confrontation from the other side, the country continues to live its own life. jam-packed with tourists who enthusiastically make the pilgrimage, oblivious, consciously or unconsciously, to the nightmare that surrounds them. This is considered one of the possible triggers Jerusalem syndromea rare mental condition that has caused hundreds of tourists in recent decades to experience a psychotic break while traveling to this sacred site.
It is important to note that this is not a syndrome classified as such in DSM-V, a guide that describes all mental disorders. It is also not well described from a scientific point of view, except for the observation of a very significant number of cases. But there are so many of them that in Israel there is even a mental health center called Kfar Shaulwhich is dedicated to the care of these patients.
Well, actually the doors of this center have opened in 1951 for any tourist arriving in the holy city with mental health problems. However, in recent decades it has become especially famous for its treatment people with Jerusalem syndrome. The difference between these people and any other tourists with mental health problems is that they all have psychotic episodes during which they somehow believe that they are immersed in some kind of world. episode from the Bible, Koran or Torah. This is because the city is considered sacred by Catholics, Muslims and Jews. Despite these commonalities, there are differences between some patients and others, which have led to the classification into three types.
Three types of Jerusalem syndrome
There are believed to be three types of Jerusalem syndrome.
For previous mental disorders
In the first and perhaps most common case, patients experience previous mental disorders very noticeable. For example, this is quite common in people suffering from schizophrenia. When they travel to Israel, especially Jerusalem, their condition may worsen, leading to a psychotic break, which should be treated in the same way as any other from which they usually suffer.
Marked by obsession
The second type of Jerusalem syndrome affects people who develop one or another type of syndrome. obsessionwithout having a clearly diagnosed mental disorder. This can happen in groups or individually. For example, there have been cases where staunch Christian groups traveling to Jerusalem have seen some of their members begin to have psychotic breaks. Or from people obsessed with religion who individually experience similar attacks.
Unusual and surprising
And finally, the third group, the strangest and rarest. People with intact mental health who, upon arrival in Israel, suddenly begin to feel symptoms of nervousness and anxiety, which ultimately lead to a psychotic break. These cases of Jerusalem syndrome are the least common. Between 1980 and 1993, 42 cases were reported.. This is the official count until this year, but several more have been discovered since then.
It is not as easy to explain as the other two types, but there is a hypothesis. It is believed that this may be a mental clash between the expectations of traveling to a sacred and supposedly peaceful place and the desire to discover a country constantly at war in places such as Gaza Strip. No doubt the tourists who are there now will be more likely to develop Jerusalem syndrome, but that is the least of our concerns in a situation like the one we are experiencing now.
In these cases, symptoms usually disappear as soon as patients leave Israelhence, it is the first thing recommended to them.
Other hypotheses about its origin
Beyond the impact military situation in Israel and PalestineThere are two more hypotheses about the origin of Jerusalem syndrome.
On the one hand, it is possible that people who are more likely to develop mental health problems overloaded seeing themselves in a place so crowded and aesthetically and culturally different from their countries of origin. In fact, it has been compared to airport syndromeanother condition not described in the DSM-V that causes some people to have flare-ups at airports where they even forget who they are.
On the other hand, as it could not be otherwise, perhaps Stendhal’s syndrome is involved here, in which some people experience a temporary psychosomatic illness when they see something very beautiful.
Real cases of Jerusalem syndrome
In 1992, a Canadian tourist got into a strange altercation when he tried to forcibly move Wall of Tears Jerusalem. When the police arrived on the scene, He claimed to be Samson and explained that he had to move the wall because it was in the wrong place.
When it turned out that his sentence had been changed, he was taken to the center. Kfar Shaul, where he was admitted, but he escaped by breaking a window. Shortly after, he was found by a nurse who managed to bring him back to the facility, talking to him as if he really were a biblical figure of superhuman strength. The patient appeared to have a history of mental illness and was given the usual treatment and was able to leave Jerusalem upon arrival.
In 2017, a young British man Oliver McAfee, disappeared in the Israeli desert while on a cycling pilgrimage. He was never found and it is unknown what happened. However, it is believed that he may have been disoriented due to Jerusalem syndrome, as some of the last people to see him claimed that he had taken his path of self-discovery to religious extremes, raising suspicions about the matter.
Also in Spain
A year later, a young Spanish woman began to feel nervous during a trip to Jerusalem. Shortly thereafter, she began talking about supposed discomfort due to pregnancy and asserting that the child he would bring into the world was the Messiah. She was referred to gynecology and psychiatry. The first specialist confirmed that she was not pregnant and, apparently, she had never had penetrative sex. Regarding the second, he spoke of a psychotic break that was soon linked to a possible case of Jerusalem syndrome.
As for the last reported case, it happened just a few days ago. A 40 year old American tourist was arrested for break two roman statues from the Jerusalem Museum. He was initially accused of religious fanaticism for attacking works of art whose principles were contrary to the Torah. However, his lawyer said that the man suffered an attack of Jerusalem syndrome.
We have to find out if this is true or if it is a ruse taking advantage of a gap in the scientific literature. We cannot forget that this is an under-described disease. In fact, in some cases even this could be a proposal, if victims have already heard about the syndrome. One thing is clear: the reality of Israel and Palestine is shocking. The Jerusalem syndrome has been compared to the Paris syndrome. However, some people feel anxious when they realize that the French capital is not as beautiful as they imagined. But in this case it is something more. In this case, tourists travel in search of a place full of peace and find a country sown with the most visceral hatred. How not to get sick.
Source: Hiper Textual
