Crystal Delusion: The Delusion Of Believing Oneself To Be Very Fragile
Throughout history there have been a large number of diseases that have caused great harm and damage to humanity and with the passage of time they have ended up disappearing. This is the case of the Black Death or the so-called Spanish Flu. But it has not only happened with medical illnesses, but there have also been mental illnesses typical of a specific historical period or stage. An example of this is the so-called crystal delusion or crystal illusion an alteration that we are going to talk about throughout this article.
It is called delirium or crystal illusion, a typical and highly frequent mental disorder of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance which is characterized by the presence of the delusional belief of being made of glass the body itself having its properties and especially its fragility.
In this sense, it remained fixed, persistent, unchangeable despite the presence of contrary evidence and without social consensus that the body itself was glass, tremendously fragile and easily broken.
This belief went hand in hand with a high level of panic and dread, practically phobic, at the idea of breaking or breaking at the slightest impact with frequent adoption of attitudes such as avoiding all physical contact with others, staying away from furniture and corners, defecating standing to avoid breaking or tying cushions, and wearing clothing reinforced with them to avoid possible damage when sitting or moving.
The disorder in question may include the feeling that the entire body is made of glass or may include only specific parts, such as the extremities. In some cases it was even considered that the internal organs were made of glass, the psychological suffering and fear of these people being very high.
As we have said, this disorder appeared in the Middle Ages, a historical stage in which glass began to be used in elements such as stained glass or the first lenses.
One of the oldest and best known cases is that of the French monarch Charles VI , nicknamed “the beloved” (since he apparently fought against the corruption introduced by his regents) but also “the madman” because he ended up suffering various psychiatric problems, including psychotic episodes (even ending one’s life). of his courtiers) and the crystal delirium being among them. The monarch dressed in lined clothing to prevent damage from possible falls and remained motionless for long hours.
It was also the disorder of Princess Alexandra Amelie of Bavaria , and many other nobles and citizens (generally from upper classes). The composer Tchaikovsky also showed symptoms that suggest this disorder, fearing that his head would fall to the floor while he was conducting the orchestra and break and even physically holding it to prevent it.
In fact, it was such a common condition that even René Descartes made mention of it in one of his works and it is even the condition suffered by one of Miguel de Cervantes’ characters in his “The Licentiate Stained Glass”.
Records indicate a high prevalence of this disorder especially during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, especially between the 14th and 17th centuries. However, as time went by and as glass became more common and less mythologized (initially it was seen as something exclusive and even magical), This disorder would decrease in frequency until it practically disappeared after 1830
The crystal delusion was a delusion, as we have said, that had its maximum expansion throughout the Middle Ages and that apparently ceased to exist around 1830.
However, a Dutch psychiatrist named Andy Lameijin found a report of a patient from the 1930s who presented with the delusional belief that her legs were made of glass and that the slightest blow could break them, with any approach or possibility of a blow generating great anxiety or even self harm
After reading this case, whose symptoms clearly resemble that of the medieval disorder, The psychiatrist proceeded to investigate regarding similar symptoms and he discovered different isolated cases of people with a similar delirium.
However, he also found a live and current case in the very center where he worked, at the Endegeest Psychiatric Hospital in Leiden: a man who said he felt like he was made of glass or crystal after having suffered an accident.
However, in this case there were differential characteristics with respect to others, more focused on the quality of transparency of the glass than on its fragility : The patient said he could appear and disappear from the sight of others, making him feel, in the patient’s own words, that “I am here, but I am not, like glass.”
It must be taken into account, however, that the crystal illusion or delusion is still considered a historical mental problem and that it can be considered an effect or part of other disorders, such as schizophrenia.
Theories about its causes
Explaining a mental disorder that is practically non-existent today is extremely complex, but through symptomatology some experts have been offering hypotheses in this regard.
In general it could be thought that this disorder could originate as a defense mechanism in people with a high level of pressure and the need to show a certain social image, being a response to the fear of showing fragility.
The emergence and disappearance of the disorder is also associated with the evolution of the consideration of the material, and it is common that the themes on which delusions and different mental problems deal are linked to the evolution and the most innovative elements of each era.
In the most recent case seen by Lameijin, the psychiatrist considered that a possible explanation for the disorder in that specific case was the need to seek privacy and personal space in the face of excessive care from the patient’s environment, the symptom being in the form of a belief in being able to be transparent like glass, a way of trying to separate and maintain individuality.
This conception of the current version of the disorder is derived from the anxiety generated by today’s society, which is extremely individualistic and focused on appearance and with a high level of personal isolation despite the existence of large communication systems.
