You may have read about werewolves in comics when you were young, or might have seen the CGI version in movies- that hairy, vicious beast that is half man and half wolf. It is also possible that these werewolves have played guest roles in your nightmares from childhood. But, we do know that it isn’t real, right? Right? Right?
What if I tell you that there really are werewolves?
Just kidding…
No, I am not. Maybe there isn’t a physical manifestation of what we think, is a werewolf. But there surely is a psychiatric disorder around this myth. It is true, clinical lycanthropy is a rare psychiatric condition in which the patient thinks that he is transforming, or has transformed into an animal. There are very few recorded cases of this disorder. Therefore, there haven’t been extensive studies related to this psychiatric disorder.
Almost all researchers agree that the condition stems from the delusion of being an animal (which is usually a wolf). And as this transformation occurs, the patient might start behaving like the animal of interest. Obviously there won’t be a sudden growth spurt to produce fur on the chest. The transformation will purely be behavioural, like walking on four limbs, howling or growling, using fingers like claws, etc. In extreme cases, the delusions may intensify and the sufferer might feed on human flesh, at least try to do it. As a matter of fact, there have been cases that claim that the person with lycanthropy has murdered and consumed more than 10 victims. However, these were records from the early 15th century and it is entirely possible that these records are flawed. However, scientists today agree that this is possible if the delusions are that strong.
There are mainly two theories that attempt to explain the phenomena. One is purely psychological and the other, neurological. Many psychologists are of the opinion that such delusions of power, as a lycanthropic person almost always see themselves as strong wild animals, might be a way to compensate for the perceived incapability or weakness of a person. Or it simply could have been a result of a breakdown. But, it seems a bit odd to assume that the condition arises from such a simple and common root cause. So, the neurological standpoint further suggested a physiological aspect to this condition. Particular areas of the brain, specifically in the cerebral cortex, are responsible for a person’s perception of their own body. Studies have shown that when sufferers of clinical lycanthropy undergo a ‘transformation’, they display unusual levels of brain activity in these regions. However, this neurological perspective alone can’t explain lycanthropy either as there is no distinction between the animals that a person ‘transforms’ into. So, probably a combination of both these theories could be our best bet at explaining this rare and fascinating phenomenon.
Children might role play as animals when they play, which actually reflects their imaginative power and creativity. Don’t go rushing to the shrink the moment you see your 5 years old howling or standing on four limbs. Most of you won’t live to see an actual case of clinical lycanthropy.
