The enthusiastic feedback on my previous roundup of mental‑illness myths, plus a handful of noteworthy conditions that didn’t fit into a ten‑item list, inspired me to craft a sequel. Here’s another 10 mental illnesses and disorders, each paired with a widely‑held myth that needs debunking.

another 10 mental: Quick Overview

1 Personality Disorders

The Myth: Personality disorders are immutable parts of who someone is.

In fact, the DSM lists ten distinct personality disorders – paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, avoidant, dependent, obsessive‑compulsive, depressive, and passive‑aggressive. The World Health Organization defines them as enduring patterns of inner experience and outward behavior that deviate markedly from cultural expectations, persisting over time and across situations.

Because these patterns are deeply ingrained, many assume they can’t be altered. While a complete “cure” may be elusive, evidence‑based therapies can teach individuals healthier coping strategies, reshape thought patterns, and gradually modify maladaptive behaviors. Personality isn’t set in stone; with sustained effort, meaningful change is achievable.

2 Psychopaths

The Myth: All psychopaths are serial killers.

The term “psychopath” often overlaps with antisocial personality disorder, but the two aren’t identical. Psychopaths tend to be self‑centered, superficially charming, callous, reckless, fearless, and lacking remorse. Their ability to lie as easily as they tell the truth stems from a profound indifference to truthfulness.

Although such traits could make a psychopath a capable murderer, many live lives marked only by deceit, impulsivity, and poor decision‑making, without ever committing homicide. Moreover, numerous serial killers are driven by psychosis, delusions, or other disorders rather than pure psychopathy. Hence, psychopathy ≠ guaranteed murderous intent.

3 Learning Disabilities

The Myth: People with learning disabilities are less intelligent.

Learning disabilities—such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, auditory processing disorder, dysgraphia, and spatial‑awareness challenges—affect how individuals acquire and process information, but they do not reflect overall intelligence. These conditions are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, confirming their status as mental health concerns.

Misconceptions arise because traditional classroom settings often favor certain learning styles, causing those with disabilities to struggle and be mislabeled as “less bright.” In reality, many possess average or even superior intelligence, often excelling in creative or analytical domains that standard curricula overlook. Their brains simply operate differently, not inadequately.

4 Agoraphobia

The Myth: Agoraphobia is simply a fear of open spaces.

The literal translation of “agoraphobia” is “fear of the marketplace.” While many associate it with wide‑open or public areas, the core anxiety revolves around situations where escape might be difficult during a panic episode. Those with panic‑disorder often develop agoraphobia to avoid triggers that could precipitate an attack.

Crucially, the phobia isn’t limited to open fields; it also includes crowded venues, bridges, elevators, or any setting where one feels trapped or unable to flee quickly. Some experts liken it more to claustrophobia—a dread of being confined—because the perceived lack of immediate exit fuels the fear.

5 Depression

The Myth: Depression only impacts mood.

Depression, the most prevalent mental illness in the United States, affects roughly 17 % of the population at some point. While persistent sadness and hopelessness dominate the picture, the condition also intertwines with physical health. Chemical imbalances, chronic pain, and certain illnesses can trigger depressive episodes.

Conversely, depression can amplify pain perception, disrupt sleep patterns, and alter appetite, leading to weight fluctuations. These physiological changes underscore that depression is far more than “just feeling sad”—it’s a complex biopsychosocial syndrome demanding comprehensive care.

6 Social Anxiety Disorder

The Myth: Social anxiety disorder is just a fancy word for shyness.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common mental illnesses, yet it’s often dismissed as simple shyness. While both involve nervousness in social settings, shy individuals typically acclimate over time, gradually gaining confidence.

In contrast, those with SAD may function comfortably among close friends or family but become almost unrecognizable—paralyzed by fear—when faced with unfamiliar audiences, job interviews, or public speaking. The anxiety often precedes the event, prompting avoidance or heightened distress, and can severely impair academic, occupational, and personal domains.

7 Manic Episodes

The Myth: Manic episodes are joyful bursts of creativity.

Bipolar disorder alternates between depressive lows and manic highs. Mania brings elevated mood, inflated self‑esteem, heightened energy, and reduced inhibition, which can indeed facilitate rapid idea generation. Some artists cherish these periods for their creative surge.

However, mania also carries downsides: shortened attention spans, insomnia, reckless spending, risky behaviors, irritability, and potential interpersonal fallout. Not every individual with bipolar disorder experiences full‑blown mania, and many display only milder hypomanic states that still disrupt daily functioning.

8 Bulimia

The Myth: All bulimics purge by vomiting.

Bulimia nervosa belongs to a broader spectrum of eating disorders. Individuals binge—consuming large quantities of food—and then attempt to offset the caloric intake through various compensatory behaviors.

While self‑induced vomiting is common, many resort to laxatives, diuretics, diet pills, excessive exercise, or prolonged fasting. The binge‑purge cycle often operates beyond conscious control, especially after years of struggle, meaning the absence of vomiting does not preclude a bulimia diagnosis.

9 Amnesia

The Myth: Amnesia erases a person’s entire past and identity.

Amnesia denotes memory loss, typically stemming from brain injury, substance use, or psychological trauma. Two primary forms exist: anterograde (difficulty forming new memories) and retrograde (loss of pre‑injury memories). Many patients experience both, forgetting events surrounding the incident while retaining procedural skills.

Crucially, procedural memory—how to ride a bike, tie shoes, or play an instrument—usually persists, as does a basic sense of self. Rarely, dissociative fugue can cause temporary identity loss, but most amnesic individuals retain enough personal context to recognize loved ones and maintain a core identity.

10 Tourette Syndrome

The Myth: Tourette syndrome always involves uncontrollable swearing.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is characterized by motor and vocal tics—sudden, repetitive movements or sounds that the individual feels compelled to produce. While coprolalia (involuntary profanity) occurs in fewer than 10 % of cases, the most common motor tic is eye‑blinking, followed by facial grimacing or arm/leg jerks.

Vocal tics often manifest as throat‑clearing, grunting, or echolalia (repeating others’ words). Tics can wax and wane, typically improving with age. Though tics themselves may be benign, they can attract negative social reactions, especially when vocal tics involve inappropriate language. TS frequently co‑occurs with ADHD and obsessive‑compulsive disorder, underscoring its complex neuropsychiatric nature.

Hopefully, this expanded list shines a light on the nuanced realities behind these ten mental health conditions, busting myths and encouraging empathy.

When it comes to feeling sick, we aren’t all equally equipped to tolerate distress and discomfort. Yet there are certain kinds of pain that level the playing field, turning even the most resilient ballet dancer or hardened soldier into a whimpering mess. The worst part? You don’t have to hop on a plane to a far‑off jungle to experience them – they’re right here, waiting to ruin your day. Below is our top 10 painful countdown of illnesses that nobody wants to meet.

10 Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a surprisingly common disorder, touching up to one in ten women. It occurs when tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus decides to grow outside that safe haven – on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and even the intestines. When those rogue cells bleed each month, they cause excruciating menstrual cramps that can make even a seasoned athlete double over, forcing her to abandon daily chores and seek refuge in bed.

9 Gastroenteritis

The dreaded stomach flu, medically known as gastroenteritis, brings a cocktail of nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, fever, chills, and gut‑wrenching lower‑abdominal cramps. Often spread by bacteria or parasites, it can leave you dehydrated and curled up on the bathroom floor. Despite its nickname, it has nothing to do with the influenza virus, but the misery it inflicts is just as unforgettable.

8 Tooth Abscess

Few things inspire dread like a throbbing tooth abscess. The infection swells the pulp of the tooth, turning it into a pressure cooker of pain. Dentists become your reluctant heroes, because without antibiotics the infection can chew through anesthetic, rendering even the strongest painkillers useless. In extreme cases, the only alternative would be a self‑performed extraction with pliers – a nightmare most of us would gladly avoid.

7 Ear Infection

Ever had an ear infection? The pounding ache alone is enough to make you wince, but certain types of otitis bring along vertigo that spins the world around you. The combination of throbbing pressure and a sense that the room is revolving can turn a simple day into a dizzy, painful ordeal.

6 Peritonitis

Peritonitis is a life‑threatening inflammation of the peritoneum, the thin membrane coating the abdominal cavity. It often follows a ruptured appendix, gallbladder infection, diverticulitis, or even a burst ovarian cyst. The resulting pain is among the fiercest known to humanity, forcing patients to beg for immediate surgery. The abdomen becomes a battlefield of relentless, stabbing agony that simply cannot be ignored.

5 Twisted Ovary Or Testicle

When an ovary or testicle twists on its own supporting ligaments, the blood supply gets cut off in a matter of seconds. The result? A sudden, blinding pain that can knock an otherwise healthy person to the floor. Emergency surgery is the only rescue, and the agony rivals the intense contractions felt during the transition phase of labor.

4 Shingles

Shingles erupts as a fiery rash of red blisters that can become inflamed, infected, and agonizingly painful. Anyone who’s ever had chickenpox carries the dormant virus, and stress or a weakened immune system can coax it back into action. The resulting pain is often described as a burning, electric shock that can linger long after the rash fades.

3 Gallbladder Lithiasis

Gallstones are hard, cholesterol‑rich deposits that form in the gallbladder when bile becomes oversaturated with fat. After a greasy meal, the gallbladder contracts, pushing a stone into the bile duct – a move that triggers excruciating, immobilizing pain. The agony is so intense that tears well up in the eyes of even the most stoic patients, making diet control essential.

2 Cluster Headache

Cluster headaches are a brutal cousin of the migraine, delivering pain that feels like a bolt of lightning striking behind one eye. Unlike typical migraines that favor women, clusters strike men – especially young Caucasian males – with recurrent, unstoppable attacks. Patients often rush to emergency rooms convinced they’re dying, and effective treatment remains elusive.

1 Nephrolithiasis

Kidney stones represent perhaps the fiercest pain a human can endure without succumbing to shock. The tiny crystal shards scrape through the urinary tract, producing a torment likened to an intense childbirth. Doctors often resort to IV narcotics to dull the agony. While the exact cause varies – dehydration, high sodium, excess calcium, genetics, and race all play roles – the antidote is simple: stay hydrated, limit salty snacks, and pray those little rocks never form.

When it comes to your health, the phrase top 10 illnesses should ring like a warning bell. Even the most seasoned physicians can stumble, and a missed or mistaken diagnosis can turn a manageable condition into a serious ordeal. From lingering fatigue to life‑threatening emergencies, an error in judgment may add needless pain, delay proper treatment, and in extreme cases, jeopardize your very survival. Staying informed and proactive is your best defense against these costly slip‑ups.

Remember, doctors are human—brilliant, compassionate, but still prone to occasional oversights. That’s why it’s crucial to walk into every appointment armed with a clear list of symptoms, a willingness to ask pointed questions, and the courage to seek a second or even third opinion when something feels off. Regular check‑ups, even when you feel fine, can uncover silent threats that hide behind a lack of obvious signs. After all, many serious diseases begin their stealthy march without obvious symptoms.

After each visit, never shy away from clarifying doubts. Be brutally honest about every ache, twinge, or odd feeling. The ten conditions outlined below are notorious for being misread or dismissed, so keep a watchful eye on the clues they present. If any of these resonate with you or a loved one, it’s time to dig deeper and demand the thorough investigation you deserve.

Why the Top 10 Illnesses Matter

1 Fever Infection

Infections that masquerade as a simple fever are among the most frequently misdiagnosed ailments. While a rise in temperature, lethargy, and localized redness or swelling can hint at an infection, they’re also common companions of benign viral colds. The danger lies in confusing a serious bacterial invasion with a routine fever, leading to delayed antibiotics and potential complications such as tissue damage or even death. Key red flags include persistent high fevers, unexplained swelling, and a lack of improvement after a few days of rest. If you notice these signs, push for a thorough work‑up rather than settling for a “just a fever” label.

2 Vasomotor Rhinitis

Often mistaken for ordinary seasonal allergies, vasomotor rhinitis stems from non‑allergic triggers such as strong perfumes, certain foods, or even dry indoor air. Unlike classic allergic rhinitis, it doesn’t involve the immune system’s IgE response, making standard allergy tests appear normal. The hallmark symptoms are watery eyes, frequent sneezing, nasal congestion, and sometimes a runny nose, dry or itchy skin, and a diminished sense of taste. Because the presentation mimics allergies, many patients receive antihistamines that provide little relief. A proper diagnosis usually requires a physician‑ordered allergy prick test and a detailed exposure history.

3 Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disorder where ingestion of gluten—found in wheat, barley, and rye—triggers inflammation and damage to the tiny intestine’s lining. The condition often flies under the radar, masquerading as irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, or simple indigestion. Classic symptoms include severe nausea, chronic diarrhea, excessive gas, bloating, acid reflux, and constipation. Over time, the damaged villi impair nutrient absorption, leading to anemia, osteoporosis, and growth issues. Because the symptoms are diffuse and can appear at any age, many clinicians miss the diagnosis without specific serologic testing and an intestinal biopsy.

4 Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a perplexing syndrome characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and a host of other systemic complaints. Patients often report aching in the neck and shoulders, persistent headaches, stiffness, tingling sensations, and even urinary or bowel irregularities. Sleep disturbances and “fibro fog”—a clouded mental clarity—are also common. The condition’s elusive nature leads many physicians to attribute symptoms to arthritis, hypothyroidism, or chronic fatigue syndrome, resulting in misdiagnosis. While there’s no cure, a combination of medication, physical therapy, and lifestyle adjustments can bring the condition under control.

5 Stroke

A stroke strikes when blood flow to the brain is abruptly interrupted, either by a clot forming in a narrowed artery (thrombotic) or by a clot that travels from elsewhere (embolic). The resulting brain cell death can cause permanent disability or death if not treated immediately. Early warning signs include sudden numbness or weakness—especially on one side—confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, blurry vision, severe headache, dizziness, and loss of balance. Because migraines, vertigo, or inner‑ear infections can mimic these symptoms, strokes are sometimes missed, delaying life‑saving interventions like clot‑busting drugs.

6 Thyroid Disorders

The thyroid gland regulates metabolism, growth, and energy use. When it malfunctions—whether by overproducing hormones (hyperthyroidism) or underproducing them (hypothyroidism)—the body’s balance is thrown off. Common symptoms include nervousness, irritability, fatigue, unexplained weight changes, muscle aches, and general weakness. Because these signs overlap with depression, anxiety, or general stress, doctors may attribute them to mental health issues rather than checking thyroid function tests, leading to prolonged misdiagnosis.

7 Heart Disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD) narrows the arteries that supply the heart muscle, setting the stage for heart attacks. Typical warning signs include lingering fatigue, shortness of breath, chest discomfort that may feel like pressure or a squeezing sensation, and occasional heartburn‑like pain. Because these manifestations can be confused with anxiety attacks, panic episodes, or even gastrointestinal reflux, CAD is sometimes overlooked until a catastrophic event occurs. Regular cardiovascular screening, especially for those with risk factors like obesity, can catch the disease before it escalates.

8 Cancer

Cancer encompasses a wide array of uncontrolled cell growths that can arise in virtually any organ. While each type has its own quirks, many share systemic symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, persistent fever, night sweats, loss of appetite, and chronic fatigue. Because these signs resemble a prolonged flu or a common cold, early-stage cancers can slip past initial evaluations. Prompt attention to unexplained, lingering symptoms—and appropriate imaging or biopsy—can dramatically improve outcomes.

9 Meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is a life‑threatening inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Classic signs include sudden high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, sensitivity to bright light, confusion, and sometimes a distinctive rash. Vomiting, sleepiness, and seizures may also appear. Because the early phase can mimic a regular flu, clinicians may underestimate the urgency, delaying critical antibiotic therapy.

10 Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease, often called atherosclerosis, occurs when fatty deposits (plaques) build up inside heart arteries, narrowing them and restricting blood flow. It remains a leading cause of death in the United States, yet it is frequently missed because its symptoms—shortness of breath, chest discomfort, and occasional heartburn—are common in overweight individuals. Without vigilant screening, many patients attribute these signs to simple weight‑related issues, missing the chance for early intervention that could prevent heart attacks.

Staying vigilant, asking the right questions, and never settling for vague explanations are your best weapons against these ten sneaky illnesses. Your health is too valuable to leave to chance—be proactive, seek second opinions when needed, and empower yourself with knowledge.

“Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence – whether much that is glorious – whether all that is profound – does not spring from disease of thought – from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect” – Edgar Allen Poe

Since the dawn of time, the world has been peppered with extraordinary men whose minds danced on the edge of brilliance and turbulence. Whether they wrestled with genuine mental disorders or simply marched to the beat of an eccentric drum, these top 10 awesome individuals reshaped art, science, literature, and leadership with their singular visions. Their bouts of rage, melancholy, or unconventional thinking produced inventions, theories, haunting poetry, and timeless masterpieces that still echo today.

Top 10 Awesome Men Who Faced Mental Illness

10 King Charles VI Of France

King Charles VI, often remembered as Charles the Mad, ruled France from 1380 until 1422. Roughly twelve years after ascending the throne, his mental health began to crumble. He experienced episodes where he could not recall his own name or recognize his royal status, even failing to identify his wife and children. In 1405, he endured a five‑month stretch refusing to bathe or change his garments. Contemporary accounts, such as those by Pope Pius II, note that Charles suffered from the bizarre “glass delusion,” convinced his body was made of fragile glass. To protect himself, he ordered reinforced clothing and forbade anyone from touching him, fearing an inevitable shatter.

9 Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was not only a masterful statesman but also a man haunted by a profound “tendency to melancholy.” While occasional sadness is universal, Lincoln’s depression was severe and often debilitating. Biographers suggest he wrestled with suicidal thoughts, and his emotional turmoil manifested in uncontrollable weeping over the suffering of his countrymen. He balanced this darkness with humor, work, and a fatalistic, religious outlook, using these coping mechanisms to navigate the stormy seas of his mental state.

8 Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh, the iconic post‑impressionist whose ear‑cutting legend looms large, likely suffered from epileptic seizures triggered by a brain lesion aggravated by his heavy absinthe consumption. His relentless artistic fervor, paired with rapid bursts of painting followed by deep depressive valleys, points toward bipolar disorder. Van Gogh also left behind a treasure trove of letters—hundreds of them—suggesting possible hypergraphia, an overwhelming urge to write, often linked to epilepsy and manic episodes.

7 Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway, a Nobel‑winning author famed for his terse prose, battled chronic depression and alcoholism throughout his life. His tragic end by suicide echoed a familial pattern—his father, brother, sister, and granddaughter all met the same fate. While genetics may have predisposed him, his later years were marred by heavy drinking, medication with destabilizing side effects, and even shock therapy that eroded his memory, likely intensifying his depressive spiral.

6 Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams, the Pulitzer‑winning playwright behind masterpieces such as A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Glass Menagerie, wrestled with deep‑seated depression long before two personal tragedies deepened his despair. His sister, a schizophrenic, underwent a lobotomy in the 1940s, and the death of his long‑time lover in 1961 sent him spiraling into heavier bouts of drug and alcohol abuse. Despite repeated attempts at detoxification, Williams remained ensnared by depression and substance dependence until his death.

5 Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe, the master of macabre and psychological terror, was fascinated by the workings of the human mind, a preoccupation evident in his tales of madness. While a rival, Rufus Griswold, attempted to brand him as a “crazy man” through a scandalous obituary, modern scholars suspect Poe may have suffered from bipolar disorder. His heavy drinking, documented suicidal musings, and a notorious hoax about a trans‑Atlantic balloon voyage further illustrate a mind both brilliant and tormented.

4 Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes, the flamboyant aviator, film mogul, and billionaire industrialist, also endured a crippling germ phobia that bordered on obsessive‑compulsive disorder. An American Psychological Association study in 2005 linked his germ aversion to a codeine addiction and a reclusive lifestyle. From an adolescent episode of unexplained paralysis to a lifelong pattern of withdrawing under stress, Hughes imposed bizarre rituals on his staff—such as wrapping their hands in paper towels while serving him food—and even lay naked in “germ‑free” dark rooms, sometimes covering his feet with tissue boxes.

3 John Nash

John Nash, the real‑life inspiration behind the film A Beautiful Mind, earned a Nobel Prize in Economics for his groundbreaking work on the Nash equilibrium. Yet behind the accolades lay a battle with paranoid schizophrenia, marked by vivid hallucinations, delusional voices, and involuntary institutionalizations where he was forced to undergo antipsychotic medication and insulin shock therapy. Over time, Nash gradually reclaimed his faculties, eventually returning to teach mathematics at Princeton.

2 Ludwig Van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven, one of history’s most celebrated composers, is widely believed to have lived with bipolar disorder. A prodigious talent, he endured an abusive father whose beatings may have contributed to his eventual hearing loss. His life mirrored the classic bipolar pattern: explosive creative surges of manic energy gave way to periods of darkness, loneliness, and deep depression. To self‑medicate, Beethoven turned to opium and alcohol, seeking relief from his inner turbulence.

1 Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton, the towering mind behind calculus, the laws of motion, universal gravitation, and the first reflecting telescope, also harbored a volatile temperament. Contemporary accounts paint him as psychotic, difficult, and prone to dramatic mood swings. Modern scholars speculate he may have suffered from bipolar disorder or even schizophrenia, suggesting that his genius was intertwined with profound mental turbulence.

Though far from flawless, these ten remarkable men have each left an indelible imprint on the world. Their brilliance, tinged with the shadows of mental illness, reminds us that genius and vulnerability often walk hand‑in‑hand, shaping humanity in ways both luminous and haunting.

Swallow. Do you feel a slight tickle at the back of your throat, a barely perceptible ache in your neck? Is your forehead just a little warmer than usual? Sure? Check again. Now take a deep breath, and try not to think about the weird pressure you’ve been feeling around your eyes for the past three hours. You’re probably just tired. Outbreaks caused by foodborne illnesses happen all the time—because only two people need to get sick for the CDC to consider it an official outbreak. That’s hardly cause for alarm. The 10 horrifying effects of foodborne illnesses can be subtle at first, then turn downright terrifying.

10 Horrifying Effects Of Foodborne Illnesses

10 Amoebiasis Dissolves Your Organ Tissues

If you’ve ever traveled to a different country and come back with a bad case of diarrhea, you probably picked up what the medical world calls “traveler’s diarrhea,” a relatively minor affliction caused by food that’s carrying bacteria from fecal matter.

Amoebiasis is similar, but much, much worse. Like traveler’s diarrhea, you get it by eating or drinking something with tiny quantities of fecal matter in it. Unlike bacterial traveler’s diarrhea, it’s caused by an amoeba called E. Histolytica. The amoeba enters your body through the digestive tract as a cyst, sort of like an egg. Once inside your warm, incubating stomach, the cyst hatches into a hungry amoeba. At this point, it attacks the layer of mucus lining your intestines.

The mucus lining is intended specifically to block parasites like E. Histolytica from getting through, and it usually works. But sometimes, the amoeba is able to dig all the way through to the soft tissue of your intestinal wall, where it begins secreting enzymes that break down the tissue’s proteins. Once the intestinal wall is sufficiently dissolved, the amoeba slurps up the resulting goo and begins reproducing. Some newborn cysts are swept away in the bowel stream to continue the cycle elsewhere, while others hatch and grow in the same intestines, spreading, eating, and digging. It’s incredibly painful.

9 Ciguatoxins Reverse How You Feel Hot And Cold

Every time you eat fish, there’s a chance that you’ll die a horrible death. And while there are many ways for that to happen, one of the worst is via ciguatoxin. Ciguatoxins bioaccumulate, which means they build up as they move up the food chain. They’re produced by a type of plankton called a dinoflagellate, and by the time the toxin makes it through the gauntlet of coral, then herbivorous fish, then increasingly larger carnivores, and finally onto your dinner plate, the toxin has accumulated to biblical proportions. And that’s when things get messy.

You start to feel the toxin about two hours after eating a tainted fish—indigestion, nausea, and cramps are usually the first signs. If you’re lucky, it stops there (and it often does). But if you’re particularly susceptible to ciguatoxins, they go to work on your nervous system. You might get lightheaded, tingly, or short of breath. Your heart will be racing a mile a minute and your lips will go numb.

Finally, your neurological processes will start to misfire. One of the strangest examples of this is a reversal of your perception of hot and cold. Ice will feel like it’s burning while a lit stove will feel like, well, ice. It would almost make an interesting superpower if it didn’t signal complete neurological degeneration.

8 Cryptosporidium Corrodes Your Intestines

We’ve talked about cryptosporidium in the past. It’s usually found in contaminated drinking water, though it can also be transmitted through unwashed food. But we haven’t till now covered what happens after the bug gets inside you.

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that needs a living host to reproduce. It enters your body as microscopic oocysts, which hatch in your belly and travel through the digestive system into your intestines. There, they make a new home among your villi, a forest of tiny, finger‑like tentacles that line the inside of your intestines and pull nutrients from the passing food.

But like humans on the world of Pandora, they’re not content to live among the trees. The longer they stay, the more they erode at the life‑giving villi. Eventually, the intestinal wall is laid completely bare for long stretches, a condition known as villous atrophy. Give it enough time, and cryptosporidium will corrode the intestines right down to the naked tissue. The most common victims are children.

7 Salmonella Melts Your Bones

Salmonella is one of the most well‑known pathogenic bacteria in the world; it’s why you always cook chicken before you eat it. Usually, salmonella stays in the gastrointestinal region, causing a few days of diarrhea and stomach cramps. But sometimes, it goes exploring. And when that happens, you’re in for a rough experience.

For some reason, rogue salmonella bacteria often migrate to the bones, especially leg bones that have a strong blood supply. The bacteria swim through your bloodstream until they reaches the marrow and cause an infection, a condition known as osteomyelitis.

Streams of white blood cells arrive to flush out the threat and begin releasing enzymes that have a very unique effect: They “lyse” the bone, or break down the cells into a fluid. The result is thick pockets of pus where solid bone once stood—prisons for the salmonella, where they’ll eventually undergo necrosis and die.

6 Yersinia Exactly Mimics Appendicitis

Yersinia bacteria are ingenious little monsters. They’re what’s known as facultative anaerobes—they breathe oxygen if there’s oxygen around; if not, a biological switch flips and lets them “breathe” through fermentation. And it all happens inside your body. You usually end up with yersinia after eating salad—the bacteria can survive at temperatures as low as 4 °C (39.2 °F), which lets it thrive on vegetables in restaurant refrigerators.

One of the most dangerous effects of a yersinia infection is pseudoappendicitis, which looks and acts exactly like regular appendicitis. In appendicitis, a major passageway in the appendix gets blocked, and over time the appendix fills with pus and mucus, expanding and putting pressure on the surrounding tissue. Eventually it bursts, releasing that cesspool of fluids into the body cavities. Yersinia does the same thing, only the bacteria causes the initial blockage that makes the appendix swell.

5 Cryptococcosis Grows Mold On Your Brain

If you’ve ever needed a reason to wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them, here it is.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus that’s found all over the world. Pick up a random handful of dirt and there’s a good chance some of this fungus will be living in it. Now drop that dirt and don’t take any deep breaths, because Cryptococcus is a merciless killer.

The fungus enters your body through your respiratory system, sending a cloud of basidiospores into your lungs and nasal passages. The first thing you’ll feel is a light tickle in your throat that quickly grows into a hacking cough. You’ll get a fever and some of the most intense headaches of your life. The fungus is now spreading across your lungs and releasing toxins into your bloodstream.

After a week or two, the fungus will spread to your central nervous system, sending fingers along your spinal cord that weave their way closer to your brain stem. There, the fungus spreads over your meninges, a thin layer of tissue that blankets the brain. You’ll begin to hallucinate. You may not die, but there’s a good chance of permanent neurological damage.

4 Trichinella Worms Create Colonies Inside Your Tongue

Trichinella is a parasitic nematode that lives in the bodies of omnivores—especially pigs, horses, rats, and humans. Since pigs are the only member of that group we eat regularly, trichinella is usually associated with raw or undercooked pork. And it’s devious.

The worm’s larvae live in cysts in the animal’s muscle tissue. When the animal is killed, packaged, and sent to the grocery store, the cysts hitch a ride down in the meat, waiting for an ideal place to wake up and begin reproducing. More often than not, that ideal place is a person’s stomach. The larvae make their way to the small intestine, latch onto its mucus lining, and begin pumping out babies. In the four weeks they’re alive, adult trichinella can produce more than 1,000 larvae.

These larvae are born diggers—their mouths are equipped with a stylet, a long serrated needle that tears the intestine’s walls so the larvae can swim into the bloodstream. There, they can pick and choose their destination like passengers on a subway. Ideally, they’re looking for thin, active muscle tissue. And nothing fits that description better than a tongue. Sometimes colonies of more than 1,500 worms form gram of tissue. And, sometimes, you never know they’re there.

3 Anisakiasis Forces You To Firebomb Your Own Tissues

In an undersea parallel to pork, squid meat often contains a dangerous parasitic nematode that migrates to humans when it’s not fully cooked. The worm in question is Anisakis simplex, a roundworm that lives in the gastrointestinal tract. Surprisingly, A. simplex by itself isn’t terribly harmful, unless you happen to have an allergic reaction to it. The real danger comes from what it forces your body to do.

Enter eosinophils, our second player in this diminutive drama of death. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that are mainly responsible for dealing with parasites. But like a bumbling detective in a David Zucker film, they end up doing more harm than good. Eosinophils mass around the nematodes and launch cytotoxins at them, toxins which do zero damage to the shell of the parasite. Instead, they hit the surrounding tissues and cause more damage than A. simplex could ever dream of doing.

And since the threat is still there, they call in reinforcements, until the entire site is a flashing barrage of crossfire that hits everything but the intended target. And you can die from that.

2 Brucellosis Slowly Rips Your Spinal Cord Apart

There’s a laundry list of alternate names for Brucellosis, including Maltese fever and Bang’s disease. All of them are really the same thing: an infection of brucella bacteria, which is usually found in soft cheese and unsterilized milk. To inject some optimism into this list, Brucellosis is fairly rare, and you’re unlikely to get it if you drink pasteurized milk.

But now for the bad news: It’s a chronic condition that lasts for life, and it can tear your spine in half. See, one of the major complications of Brucellosis is a spinal condition called arachnoiditis, and the combination of those two often leads to syringomyelia, a condition where cavities begin to appear along the spine. The cavities expand over a period of years, forcing apart the spine’s discs and rupturing the whole column along several points. Ouch.

1 The Chicken Superbug Triggers Cellular Suicide

Calling the antibiotic‑resistant bacteria that’s being found all over chicken a “superbug” is great for shock value, but it’s really just another version of E. coli. That being said, it’s still something to watch out for, because it’s causing a surprisingly high rate of hemolytic‑uremic syndrome.

Hemolytic‑uremic syndrome is the wholesale suicide of red blood cells. Most cells in the body are programmed to be able to self‑destruct when needed. It’s called apoptosis, and it usually serves a purpose. For example, when you were still an embryo, your fingers were meshed into a single clump until the cells in between the individual digits underwent apoptosis and allowed your fingers to separate.

But E. coli contains something called Shiga toxin, which hacks the programming of red blood cells and forces them to commit suicide. The result is near‑total kidney failure. Since we’re having trouble stopping this new breed of E. coli with antibiotics, complications like this are becoming more common. Right now, it’s estimated that about 50 percent of chicken in stores has the superbug.

Who’s hungry?

When we talk about disease, the headlines usually scream about pandemics that sweep continents. Yet hidden in the shadows of anthropology are a handful of baffling ailments that seem to exist only within a single culture, tribe, or geographic pocket. This top 10 culture list dives into those obscure illnesses, revealing the eerie symptoms, chilling anecdotes, and the local explanations that keep these mysteries alive.

10 Uppgivenhetssyndrom

Uppgivenhetssyndrom is a perplexing condition that seems to strike only refugee youngsters from former Soviet or Yugoslav territories who have settled in Sweden. The syndrome erupts the moment the child becomes aware that their family faces deportation back to their homeland. Those afflicted fall into a coma‑like state, refusing to move, speak, or eat, as though they have become living statues on their beds.

One well‑documented case involved two sisters from Kosovo. The older sibling lost the ability to walk the day after learning her family was about to be sent home. Within days, her younger sister mirrored the same paralysis, and both remained immobile for two years. Their recovery only began when Swedish officials rescinded the deportation order, permitting the family to stay. Even then, it took months for the children to regain normal function.

In another striking example, a boy lingered in bed for an extra three months after his family’s deportation notice was reversed and a residency permit granted. He eventually opened his eyes and could sit up, yet required assistance to keep his head upright.

9 Amafufunyana

Amafufunyana is a disorder that appears exclusively among the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of South Africa. Its hallmark is a bizarre phenomenon where the victim’s stomach seems to vocalize in a language the person does not understand, often Zulu, delivering ominous commands and threats.

Reported accounts describe stomachs telling women they would never bear children, threatening seizures, or even urging a girl to leap in front of a moving vehicle. Affected individuals also endure nightmares, chronic fatigue, and severe sleep disturbances, alongside heightened irritability, agitation, and a disturbing propensity toward suicidal thoughts. Some patients even begin to speak in a second, unfamiliar voice.

Traditional healers attribute the condition to a curse. Supposedly, a cursed individual harvests ants from a dead person’s grave, concocts them into a poison, and feeds the mixture to the intended victim. Once ingested, the victim allegedly starts hearing their stomach’s cryptic chatter.

Between 1981 and 1983, more than 400 schoolchildren in South Africa were reported to suffer from amafufunyana. These pupils exhibited swollen abdomens and ran about classrooms, kicking chairs and desks while their stomachs allegedly spoke Zulu, claiming they had been sent to possess the children.

Three women were blamed for the outbreak; two fled, while the third was captured and narrowly escaped death at the hands of the enraged children. The youngsters were arrested and charged with assault, yet their erratic courtroom behavior forced the case to be postponed five separate times.

8 Running Amok

The English idiom “to run amok” describes wildly uncontrolled behavior, but its origin lies in an actual illness termed “running amok,” observed among native populations of Malaysia, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Those afflicted display sudden, violent, and unpredictable actions that can culminate in suicide.

Documentation of this condition stretches back roughly two centuries, and Western medicine classifies it as a mental disorder. Scholars suggest that the phenomenon arises from the social isolation of these indigenous groups, compounded by deeply held spiritual beliefs. In contrast, native explanations point to a malevolent spirit seizing control of the individual’s body.

The only historically recorded “cure” involves killing the afflicted person—an approach fraught with danger, as the victim often attempts to murder the would‑be killer. An alternative, less lethal method is to simply allow the patient to remain untouched; if they do not end their own life, they may eventually recover, though they frequently suffer amnesia regarding the episode.

7 Hikikomori

Hikikomori designates a mental condition that seems to be unique to Japanese youth. The term translates roughly to “withdrawal” or “pulling in,” describing individuals who shut themselves away from society, remaining confined to their homes for months, engaging in little more than introspection. Some display obsessive‑compulsive traits, such as incessant cleaning, or even self‑harm. The majority of sufferers are over 25 years old, with men accounting for roughly 80 % of cases.

Sociologists argue that the phenomenon stems from Western influences reshaping Japan’s labor market. Traditionally, Japanese graduates secure lifelong employment immediately after university. When individuals deviate from this path—by taking a job after high school or delaying entry into the workforce—they may feel unable to match the progress of peers who adhered to the conventional route, leading to severe social withdrawal.

A 2010 government‑sponsored study estimated that about 236 000 Japanese were living as hikikomori. The authorities have struggled to define the condition, funding research that only deepened confusion. Because the disorder lacks a clear classification, many victims receive little effective treatment.

6 Wendigo Psychosis

Wendigo psychosis is a purported mental disorder that allegedly prompts sufferers to crave human flesh. It is said to be confined to the northeastern Native American tribes. The label is controversial—some scholars argue it is a catch‑all term for various mental illnesses, while others doubt its very existence.

One early 20th‑century account involves missionary J.E. Saindon, who encountered a woman diagnosed with the condition. She showed no desire to eat flesh but lived in constant fear of killing strangers, believing she might become a murderer herself. Her anxiety stemmed from a belief that she could inadvertently harm others.

Other anecdotes include a man who allegedly murdered and ate his family members after his eldest son’s death, and the case of Jack Fiddler, who was tried and executed for “curing” someone with the disorder by killing the afflicted individual.

5 Hwa‑byung

Hwa‑byung, literally “fire disease,” is a condition found exclusively among Koreans. It reflects the intense, boiling emotions that arise when individuals continuously suppress anger, earning it the nickname “suppressed anger syndrome.” The ailment is thought to persist from the moment a person begins bottling up fury until they finally erupt, often through lengthy, detailed monologues.

Patients commonly report a scorching sensation in their chest or torso, accompanied by dizziness, depression, irritability, weakness, paranoia, and chronic fatigue. Physical manifestations also include headaches and blurred vision.

The disorder predominantly affects impoverished Korean women aged 40‑50. Many sufferers develop hwa‑byung due to childlessness or intense pressure from in‑laws. Discovering an unfaithful husband can also trigger the syndrome, as the emotional turmoil intensifies the internal “fire.”

4 Pibloktoq

Pibloktoq, often called “Arctic hysteria,” was first recorded in 1892 and appears solely among Inuit communities in the Arctic. Affected individuals become highly agitated, shout, rip off their clothing, and sprint naked through the frigid air. This frenetic episode can last for hours before the person collapses and sleeps, waking up fully recovered.

The Inuit interpret the condition as a spirit possession. Interestingly, they view it positively because the afflicted may receive revelations from the spirit world. Consequently, community members typically leave the individual alone unless they pose a danger to themselves or others.

Researchers propose multiple contributing factors: the high‑fat diet of Arctic fauna, a deficiency in vitamin A, and the extreme cold itself. Historical accounts note that 19th‑century European sailors stranded in the Arctic also exhibited similar symptoms, as did the Inuit’s sled dogs.

3 Wild Pig Syndrome

Wild Pig Syndrome, also known as the wild man syndrome, is an affliction limited to young men of the Gururumba tribe in New Guinea. Those struck by the condition suddenly become aggressive and act irrationally, pilfering anything within reach and shooting arrows indiscriminately at passers‑by.

The tribe believes the syndrome originates from the bite of a deceased person’s ghost. The erratic behavior is seen as evidence that the victim cannot cope with life’s frustrations and has lost control over his actions.

2 Grisi Siknis

Grisi siknis is a mental disorder that surfaces among the Miskito population of Nicaragua. Those affected often enter a coma‑like state before erupting into a violent frenzy, during which they wield weapons against unseen foes and attempt to flee the community with their eyes shut. The episodes can be so intense that up to four people are needed to restrain a single individual.

Outbreaks frequently involve groups of tribe members simultaneously. In one documented incident, 60 people from a single village experienced the condition at once. Western medicine classifies the phenomenon as a form of mass hysteria, typically treating it with anticonvulsants and antidepressants—treatments that have proven ineffective.

The Miskito attribute grisi siknis to a curse. Traditional healers are consulted, and investigations after a 1950s outbreak suggested that hallucinogenic substances had been deliberately added to the tribe’s water supply, inducing the symptoms.

1 Shenkui

Shenkui is an illness unique to Chinese culture, describing the fear or actual loss of male vitality—known as yang. Sufferers believe they become deficient in yang and masculinity when they lose semen, whether through excessive sexual activity, masturbation, wet dreams, or even passing white urine.

Traditional Chinese medicine often blames the kidneys for this depletion, as they are thought to transform blood into semen. A weakened kidney, therefore, is seen as a root cause of the perceived loss of yang.

To guard against this loss, men develop phobias known as pa‑leng (fear of cold) and pa‑feng (fear of wind). Their protective strategies include wearing heavily insulated clothing and consuming hot, warming foods to preserve their internal fire.

When it comes to staying healthy, most of us would rather avoid the doctor’s office altogether. Yet, desperate or misguided individuals have devised some truly unsettling home‑treatment tactics. Below are 10 horrifying ways people attempted DIY illness cures, each more bizarre than the last.

10 Using a Plunger for Constipation

Constipation can stem from many underlying issues, but its hallmark is the difficulty or impossibility of passing stool for days or weeks. Left untreated, it can become a serious medical emergency.

In 2019, a case study detailed a 56‑year‑old man who, after four days of being constipated, resorted to an unorthodox solution: he grabbed a household plunger. While at‑home remedies exist, he chose the very tool associated with clearing clogged toilets, sealing it over his rectum and using forced air to try to dislodge the blockage. This resulted in a severe colon perforation, a first‑of‑its‑kind injury documented in medical literature.

The patient’s background included alcoholism and mental illness, factors that may have contributed to his dangerous decision.

9 Self Infecting with Hookworms for Allergy Control

Allergies can be relentless, often managed with daily medications or immunotherapy shots. However, one researcher, afflicted by severe allergies, explored a radical alternative: deliberately infecting himself with hookworms.

Parasitic infections like hookworms can suppress the host’s immune response, reducing the likelihood of allergic reactions. The researcher lived allergy‑free for two years with a hookworm residing in his gut.

Although this method lacks medical endorsement and carries significant risks, scientists hope to isolate the immunomodulatory mechanisms of parasites to develop safer treatments without the need for actual worms.

8 George Boole’s Wife Treated His Illness with Buckets of Water

George Boole, celebrated for Boolean algebra, faced a harsh winter illness after walking two miles in the rain to his lectures. He soon developed a severe cold and fever.

Attempting to mirror the cause of his ailment, Boole’s wife repeatedly doused him with buckets of water, believing the excess moisture would counteract his condition. Unfortunately, the treatment proved ineffective, and Boole passed away shortly thereafter.

7 Bleach Enemas for Autism

In 2019, a disturbing trend emerged among certain parents of autistic children: the promotion of bleach enemas as a cure. These parents, congregating in private online groups, shared various hazardous “treatments,” ranging from urine to turpentine, but bleach—specifically Miracle Mineral Solution—was a popular choice.

Bleach is a potent chemical toxin, not a therapeutic agent. Nevertheless, some parents administered it orally, topically, or via enema, believing it would eradicate an imagined infection or toxin.

The FDA has repeatedly warned against such products, citing multiple deaths linked to their misuse, including during the COVID‑19 pandemic when the solution was marketed as a cure.

6 The Carolina Reaper Was an Attempt to Cure Cancer

The internet’s fascination with extreme heat led to the creation of the Carolina Reaper, the world’s hottest pepper, averaging over 1.5 million Scoville units. While many seek its fiery thrill, its creator, Ed Currie, pursued a far more serious goal.

Coming from a family plagued by cancer, Currie hoped the capsaicinoids in hot peppers might serve as a therapeutic agent. He believes these compounds could contribute to cancer treatment, and his own battles with thyroid and skin cancer have fueled his conviction.

5 Goat Wet Nurses Helped Stop the Spread of Syphilis

Before modern infant formula, some families turned to goats as wet nurses. When a baby’s mother could not breastfeed, a goat could provide nourishment without the risk of transmitting syphilis, a disease that could spread between human wet nurses and infants.

By employing goats, communities limited disease transmission while ensuring infants received adequate nutrition—a pragmatic, albeit unconventional, solution.

4 A Teenager Cut Off His Own Hand to Treat His Internet Addiction

Internet addiction affects an estimated 6 % of the global population—roughly 468 million people, surpassing the entire population of South America. One Chinese teenager took extreme measures to escape his compulsive screen time.

After leaving a note for his mother, the 19‑year‑old sliced off his own hand, called a cab, and rushed to a hospital. Surgeons managed to reattach the limb, but doubts remain about full functional recovery.

3 A Woman Tried to Treat Her Athlete’s Foot with Garlic

Garlic is often touted for its health benefits, yet applying raw cloves directly to a fungal infection can backfire. An English woman, seeking relief for athlete’s foot, smeared raw garlic slices onto her infected toe for four weeks.

Instead of eradicating the fungus, the allicin compound caused a severe chemical burn, resulting in red, blistered, and peeling skin across the toe—an outcome both painful and visually alarming.

2 A Man Tried to Cure His Back Pain with Semen Injections

Some fringe health believers claim the body produces its own medicine. In 2019, an Irish man attempted to treat chronic back pain by injecting his own semen into his arm.

The self‑administered injections led to cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection. Doctors determined the man devised the method independently, as no online precedent existed for such a practice.

1 People Consumed Their Own Relatives to Fight Tuberculosis

In late‑19th‑century New England, a tuberculosis outbreak sparked a macabre response. When multiple family members fell ill, townspeople suspected vampirism. After exhuming the bodies of a mother and her daughters, they discovered one daughter’s corpse was unusually preserved.

Labeling her a vampire, the community decapitated her, burned her organs, and fed the ashes to her surviving brother, believing this would lift the curse and cure his disease. Tragically, he also died shortly thereafter.

Celebrities like to project a sanitized image and so we often don’t realize that they suffer from problems that many of us common folk face. And, although they have the money and connections to get the best medical treatment possible, they still sometimes struggle to get a proper diagnosis or treatment. The reason for this is that there are some problems that, for whatever reason, doctors just struggle to diagnose properly even with modern medical science on their side.

 10. Nick Cannon

The affliction: Pulmonary Embolism.

Last year Nick Cannon, husband of pop star Mariah Carey, had to step down from his radio show and head to the hospital due to complications involving a blood clot. It turns out that he had something many doctors fail to notice, and that many haven’t heard of called a pulmonary embolism. This condition is a blood clot in the lungs and can be extremely deadly, and doctors are often negligent in finding it. Luckily for Nick, the doctor found the problem quickly and prescribed bed rest as part of a regiment to help him recover.

9. Rick Perry

The affliction: Sleep Apnea.

Rick Perry became well known nationwide last year due to running for president and coming across as a total goofball and a complete bigot. He couldn’t remember what government programs he wanted to cut, and some speculated that he was actually drunk. After trying desperately to figure out what was wrong with their candidate, his campaign staff realized he was hardly sleeping, and had the doctors look at him. They found that Rick Perry was suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that causes abnormal breathing during sleep, which is extremely disruptive to the sleep cycle. Most people have no idea they even have a problem, they just end up fatigued during the day, and doctors rarely find it unless looking for it specifically.

8. John Ritter.

The affliction: Aortic Dissection.

John Ritter is well known for being one of the greatest comedians ever, the star of Three’s Company, and an actor who was taken from us way too early. He died in his fifties while working due to an aortic dissection, which the doctors sadly misdiagnosed as a heart attack. An aortic dissection is caused by a tear in the inner wall of the aorta, allowing blood to flow between the layers, which forces the walls apart and is a very serious medical emergency. Unfortunately, doctors simply miss this one a lot, and think that it is a stroke instead.

7. Jimmy Kimmel.

The affliction: Narcolepsy.

Jimmy Kimmel is famous for being a TV comedian that no one finds particularly funny, though we do respect him for trying. Kimmel states that he used to try to self medicate his problems by drinking a ridiculous amount of iced tea, but when his doctor found out, he was alarmed at the amount of caffeine Kimmel was guzzling and prescribed pills. Narcolepsy is a neurological sleep disorder, and many people are not lucky enough like Kimmel to get a proper diagnosis. Often doctors diagnose it as insomnia, depression, schizophrenia or even a thyroid disorder.

6. Sinead O’Connor.

The affliction: Fibromyalgia.

Sinead O’Connor is a talented Irish singer-songwriter, also known for being fairly controversial. Among the controversy is the fact that as a woman she has been ordained a priest, which is considered completely invalid by the Roman Catholic Church. She had admitted to having fibromyalgia, a condition that affects around five million adults, mostly women. Fibromyalgia is often characterized by having a foggy memory, all sorts of tender areas on the body and lots of chronic pain. Unfortunately this condition has many other symptoms that can appear to be  other problems, and so it often goes undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed. Sometimes with early diagnosis and treatment people can live fairly normal lives, however, in Sinead’s case, it led to a temporary retirement.

5. Jennifer Esposito.

The affliction: Celiac Disease.

Jennifer Esposito is known for being in movies such as Crash and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, as well as TV shows like Spin City and Blue Bloods. Recently, she discovered that she had Celiac Disease and has become an advocate for it. To say that Celiac Disease is often misdiagnosed is an understatement. According to Esposito, the average diagnosis takes about eight years and for her it took twenty. Nearly one in one hundred and fifty American people have Celiac Disease, and it is difficult to diagnose because many of the symptoms can also be caused by other diseases. Those who are afflicted are generally fine if they don’t eat gluten, but they often deal with the symptoms for years before realizing they need to cut gluten from their diet.

4. Alec Baldwin.

The affliction: Lyme Disease.

Alec Baldwin, the aging star of 30 Rock who sometimes throws fits on airplanes because he’s told to stop playing Words with Friends, apparently is a chronic sufferer of lyme disease. He doesn’t talk much about the ailment, but did star in a movie called Lymelife, possibly to raise awareness about the disease. Lyme Disease is caused by bites from certain ticks, and is a fairly common problem, with over one hundred and fifty thousand cases since 1982. If the disease isn’t caught quickly enough it can often lead to chronic suffering, but unfortunately doctors are notoriously bad at finding the disease early, and much more research needs to be done in regard to early detection.

3. Oprah Winfrey.

The affliction: Hypothyroidism.

Oprah Winfrey doesn’t really need an introduction. When she isn’t giving everyone a car, she is busy being richer than God and more influential than just about anyone in entertainment, at least when it comes to bored housewives. On her show, she admitted that she had gone to the doctor after feeling tired and looking ill and had discovered that she had serious thyroid problems. This could also be the cause of her sometimes yo-yoing weight, as thyroid issues make it very difficult for people to maintain a stable weight. While hypothyroidism is incredibly common, it is believed that nearly half of the people who are afflicted with this don’t get a proper diagnosis. Part of the reason for lack of a proper diagnosis is that the symptoms often appear over a very long period of time, making early, or any detection difficult.

2. Justin Timberlake.

The affliction: ADD

When Justin Timberlake isn’t busy bringing sexy back, he is actually struggling to deal with ADD and OCD at the same time, and has been fairly angsty when talking about his disorder. While many people, just like Timberlake, can survive with ADD and perform quite well, it is an often misdiagnosed problem, and is easily one of the most over-diagnosed issues that exist. In fact some experts believe that incorrect diagnosis of ADD and the ensuing medication can lead to problem behaviors in youths, meaning that the common misdiagnosis of ADD can actually be quite harmful. It is likely that Timberlake really does have ADD, but unfortunately many kids diagnosed with it actually don’t have the disorder at all.

1. Stephen Fry.

The affliction: Depression.

Stephen Fry is one of the funniest men in comedy, delighting us over the years with his performances and generally being an amazing actor with excellent wit and charm. However, he has also long been a sufferer of depression and has admitted to being close to attempting suicide before. Unfortunately, going without proper treatment or diagnosis for depression, sometimes until it has reached such a dangerous point is fairly common. Worse, however, is that depression has become an alarmingly common diagnosis for all kinds of other problems and is often being prescribed to people who do not actually have a chemical imbalance in their brain, but are simply unhappy with their lives. Perhaps with better knowledge of this disorder, we can treat people properly and avoid misdiagnosis.