Demon Face Syndrome, known medically as Prosopometamorphopsia, is a rare neurological disorder that can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life. In 2024, the news reported on a 58 year old man who had this rare condition. While experts have determined that fewer than 100 people in the world have this disorder, it affects an individuals ability to perceive other people’s faces.
What is Demon Face Syndrome?
Demon face syndrome (Prosopometamorphopsia) is a condition where individuals perceive facial features as distorted. This can include seeing faces as grotesque, elongated, shrunken, or otherwise misshapen. While Prosopometamorphopsia is purely perceptual, the condition can be extremely unsettling, causing sufferers to see familiar faces, including their own, in a disturbing and distorted manner.
How To Spot Demon Face Syndrome
Identifying demon face syndrome involves recognizing its unique symptoms:
- Distorted Facial Perception: Patients see faces as twisted, elongated, or otherwise deformed. This can affect the entire face or specific features such as the eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Consistent Distortions: Unlike fleeting visual illusions, the distortions in Prosopometamorphopsia are persistent and consistent.
- Difficulty Recognizing Faces: Some individuals may struggle to recognize familiar faces due to the distortions.
- Visual Hallucinations: In some cases, patients might experience additional visual hallucinations, compounding the distress.
What is Having Demon Face Syndrome Like?
Living with demon face syndrome can be psychologically and emotionally challenging. The persistent visual distortions can lead to anxiety, social withdrawal, and depression. Individuals may feel isolated and misunderstood, as their experiences are difficult to explain to others who do not share the same perceptual distortions. Daily activities, such as social interactions and self-grooming, can become distressing and disorienting.
In a May 11, 2024 article, Illinois resident Maggie McCart shared her experiences with Demon Face Syndrome:
“The skin texture on a face [that I’m looking at] can change, or their noses or eyes seem to be stretched and exaggerated in grotesque, plastic-y ways. Sometimes a person’s face and mouth are replaced by geometric shapes – triangles, hexagons, and so on. I’ve had faces appear to be made of potato skin, or tree bark, like the talking apple trees in Wizard of Oz. I’ll never forget that time I looked at a manager, and he gazed back at me with – no joke – the head of a dragon, complete with matte, black skin.”
Despite the terrifying nature of these experiences, McCart told the news outlet that she has learned to manage the condition without letting it cause her undue distress.
What Causes Demon Face Syndrome?
While experts are not sure what entirely causes demon face syndrome, there are a number of theories that have determined this disorder can arise from various underlying conditions, including:
- Neurological Disorders: Conditions such as epilepsy, migraines, or lesions in the brain can trigger facial distortions.
- Brain Trauma: Injuries to the brain, particularly the occipital and temporal lobes, can result in perceptual changes.
- Psychiatric Conditions: Mental health disorders, including schizophrenia and severe anxiety, can lead to visual distortions.
- Drug Use: Hallucinogenic substances and certain medications can induce symptoms similar to Prosopometamorphopsia.
A professor from Dartmouth College reported that most reports of people with demon face syndrome have associated the disorder with brain damage. However, due to the limited number of patients who have received care for this disorder, it has prevented researchers of developing a more thorough list of risk factors.
How Is Demon Face Syndrome Treated?
While treatment for demon face syndrome can depend on a number of factors, it’s important to first understand what caused the onset of symptoms in the first place. Treatment for Prosopometamorphopsia focuses on managing the underlying cause and alleviating symptoms:
- Medication: Depending on the cause, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, or migraine medications can help reduce symptoms.
- Therapy: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can assist patients in coping with the psychological impact of their distorted perceptions.
- Neurological Treatment: Addressing any underlying neurological conditions through surgery or targeted treatments can alleviate symptoms.
- Lifestyle Adjustments: Stress management techniques, such as mindfulness and relaxation exercises, can help reduce the frequency and intensity of distortions.
Contact Peachtree Wellness Solutions About Treatment Options Today
If you’ve been experience hallucinations or other distortions, Peachtree Wellness Solutions can help. Our mental health programs in Atlanta, Georgia offers residential mental health and outpatient treatment for those who have been experiencing mental health symptoms. Our programs create individualized treatment plans for you or your loved one to help you improve your quality of life. Call us now at 770-202-1274 or verify your insurance now.
