9 psychological disorders that only affect tourists

Journalist Lissette Calveiro traveled every month to take new photos in order to surprise her followers on social networks. But the young woman soon understood that, in her pursuit of popularity and creating the illusion of a rich life, she ended up destroying almost everything she owned, creating debt on top of debt. With the emergence of social networks in our lives, travel has become a necessary condition for all those who want to show off and gain the approval of others through likes, many likes. But traveling a lot doesn’t just affect your wallet and your social media profile, it can also affect your mental health.

O awesome.club discovered that there are 9 psychological disorders that can occur in those who cannot sit still and who are always traveling the world in search of new adventures.

When someone asks you to imagine yourself in Paris, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? It will certainly be the Eiffel Tower, elegant bakeries full of delights in the window and the beautiful French women with their stylish clothes. Many tourists travel to the French capital with more or less this concept in mind, but their expectations end up being frustrated by the reality of the city.

It is obvious that the Paris syndrome does not depend on nationality, but the most susceptible are the Japanese, due to the enormous cultural differences. Japan is known for its hospitality and kindness towards strangers. Thus, facing the coldness of relations attributed to the French, the robberies and coup attempts becomes a stress for the mind. With this, visitors are required to undergo psychological therapies.

Symptoms:

Strong disappointment. Hallucinations, feeling of losing touch with reality. Persecution mania. Unfounded aggression. Hysteria. Nausea and nausea.

Jerusalem syndrome does not depend on the tourist’s religion, and it can affect any visitor who is in the city. And the more trips to places considered sacred, the greater the chances of the person starting to feel like a biblical character: this is how the syndrome manifests itself. Victims begin to draw attention by shouting prophecies and throwing tantrums, and sometimes the behavior can reach extremes, even causing physical injuries (both to oneself and to others). In such cases, it is necessary to compulsorily hospitalize the person until the outbreak disappears. Usually, the syndrome goes away a few weeks later or when the tourist leaves the city.

Symptoms:

Emotion. Desire to separate from group and family to travel alone. Obsession with cleanliness: frequent baths and constant urge to cut fingernails and toenails. Manufacture of a toga-like garment in white with materials that are available: usually hotel sheets. Scream verses from the sacred book of your religion and religious hymns.

Stendhal syndrome can affect tourists anywhere: in a world-famous museum, in the zoo, in the theater or on the street when seeing a famous or very beautiful person. The sensation provoked by the beauty excites the visitor so much that he literally goes crazy. The syndrome has been mostly recorded in museums in Florence, Italy, and there are people who are immune to it, such as natives of North America and Asia. Italians also do not suffer from the phenomenon, as they live in the midst of great works of art and are used to them.

Symptoms:

Nausea. Hallucinations. Tachycardia. Lack of orientation in space, fainting. Hysteria, destructive behavior.

There are travelers who don’t know when they will travel next time, it all depends on their emotional state. Dromomania is a psychological disorder that manifests itself when a person feels an obsession with leaving home and going anywhere.

During these journeys, the patient ends up calming his own anxiety and returning home, knowing that he took a far from rational attitude. But there is also a more dangerous version of the disorder: the person decides to travel, or simply wander, until he loses strength. The first such “breakout” can be provoked by severe stress, but the reasons become less and less important.

Symptoms:

Impulsivity: a spontaneous urge to, for example, go fishing. It is worth worrying if the person has abandoned everything they were doing (food, for example), changed clothes and went out. Lack of preparation for the trip: the person decided to go to the mountains, but without taking suitable clothes or supplies. Indifference to obligations: not caring at all about having to miss work or doing harm to loved ones.

Everyone who has traveled abroad for the first time or seen something unusual in the environment they are used to knows what culture shock is. He is almost always characterized by strong impressions caused by new and unfamiliar emotions: strange food, different habits, unfamiliar language. The downside of this phenomenon is panic and the desire to hide from the outside world.

Stages of culture shock:

“Honeymoon”: You fall in love with the place as soon as you arrive, and you are totally thrilled. At that moment, he wants to visit as many places as possible, he feels safe among strangers and satisfied with the attention he receives. This stage lasts about two weeks. Culture shock: now you start to notice the details that bother you. The weird public transport, different foods sold on the street and the fatigue caused by the effort of trying to understand the language. It is usually at this stage that people pack their bags and go home Acceptance: when the person finds the strength to stay after the second stage, depression gradually gives way to optimism. A feeling of willingness to start living in the new conditions arises. Adaptation: little by little you start to get used to the people, the behaviors and even the local transport. That initial strong emotion passes, as well as the anguish.

Now remember what it feels like to come home after a good vacation. Almost everyone knows the feeling of culture shock in reverse, which is accompanied by depression and disappointment. Compared to the place where you spent your rest period, your home looks different, not like it was before the trip. He starts to think that many things are missing in his hometown and that his everyday life is unbearably boring and that his city is ugly, smelly, full of crimes and so on.

Symptoms:

Missing the foreign language, even if in small doses. For example, I would do anything just to order a cup of coffee in another language. Not noticing the defects of the country visited, and starting to see even the smallest bad things present in your place of residence. Agony in the face of routine. Constant feeling of oppression.

Some tourists, when they arrive at the hotel, stop at the bar and stay there until their return date. From time to time, they dance on tables and start fights, alienating everyone around them. In fact, this terrible behavior may just be a reaction to the stress caused by a new place. At that time, the person thinks that what happens around him is unreal, so he can behave as he wants.

Symptoms:

Allow yourself the luxury of doing what you wouldn’t do at home. Losing fear and not understanding what is normal: not thinking about your own safety and feeling immortal. Thinking that the people around you don’t exist, that everything that happens is just a dream.

The human organism is capable of adapting to the most adverse conditions, but even experienced climbers are unprotected in the face of the so-called altitude sickness, caused by rarefied air – this is common in some cities above 3,000 meters in altitude in Bolivia and the Peru, for example. In addition to physical fatigue, body dehydration and lack of oxygen, the harsh conditions can trigger all kinds of visions and hallucinations. In these situations, they may hear voices and even “see” relatives and friends.

Before traveling to certain places, it is recommended to get vaccinated. There are some medicines aimed at preventing malaria, and one of them causes psychological disorders: the so-called mefloquine.

Symptoms:

Anxiety. Depression. Aggressive behavior. Hallucinations. Suicidal thoughts, psychosis. Daydream. Paranoia.

Traveling always comes with some risks, and anything can happen. So it’s best never to leave the house. This is how the bad world syndrome is characterized. Those with the problem tend to watch TV and assimilate all kinds of negative information: catastrophes, murders, terrorist attacks. Gradually, people like this begin to develop paranoia and lose the desire to leave the house.

In order not to ruin your vacation, pay attention to yourself and loved ones: do not overstrain yourself on trips, do not forget to eat or sleep well. The people who require the most attention are those who are likely to suffer from depression and who have had unpleasant experiences recently. Before your vacation, do some research on the place you are going to visit. Don’t forget to take medicine and check where you can seek help in case something unexpected happens.

What do you prefer? Facing new conditions or resting in familiar places? Leave your comment!