10 Alice In Wonderland Syndrome Symptoms

By lizzie

Reviewed: dr. vanta

Article Sources

Article Sources

• 1. Weissenstein, Anne, Elisabeth Luchter and Stefan Bittmann. 'Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Rare Neurological Manifestation with Microscopy in a 6-Year-Old Child.' Journal of Pediatric Neurosciences, 2014, doi: 10.4103/1817-1745.147612
• 2. Blom, Jan Dirk. 'Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Systematic Review.' Neurology Clinical Practice, vol. 6, no. 3, June 2016, cp.neurology.org/content/6/3/259

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Alice In Wonderland Syndrome, or AIWS, might sound like a fantastical condition straight out of the well-known children's tale. However, the issue is quite real and impactful to people of all ages. The condition is characterized by symptoms that alter normal perception and cause disorientation.¹Weissenstein, Anne, Elisabeth Luchter and Stefan Bittmann. ‘Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Rare Neurological Manifestation with Microscopy in a 6-Year-Old Child.’ Journal of Pediatric Neurosciences, 2014, doi: 10.4103/1817-1745.147612

The condition is most prevalent at night. There's still a great deal of ongoing research about AIWS, and as such, treatment options are limited to medications that help improve the symptoms. Possible risk factors of AIWS range from infections to migraine headaches, stress, certain medicines and epilepsy.¹Weissenstein, Anne, Elisabeth Luchter and Stefan Bittmann. ‘Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Rare Neurological Manifestation with Microscopy in a 6-Year-Old Child.’ Journal of Pediatric Neurosciences, 2014, doi: 10.4103/1817-1745.147612

Altered Body Image

Altered body image is the dominant symptom of AIWS. The individual views body parts with altered perception, making some parts seem larger or smaller than they are in reality.¹Weissenstein, Anne, Elisabeth Luchter and Stefan Bittmann. ‘Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Rare Neurological Manifestation with Microscopy in a 6-Year-Old Child.’ Journal of Pediatric Neurosciences, 2014, doi: 10.4103/1817-1745.147612 While this can happen with any part of the body, the individual generally experiences this symptom in relation to the head and hands.²Blom, Jan Dirk. ‘Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Systematic Review.’ Neurology Clinical Practice, vol. 6, no. 3, June 2016, cp.neurology.org/content/6/3/259

The reason that the condition has the Alice in Wonderland moniker is because of the well-known children's story of the same name. Throughout the story, Alice notices her body growing larger and smaller at various intervals.²Blom, Jan Dirk. ‘Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Systematic Review.’ Neurology Clinical Practice, vol. 6, no. 3, June 2016, cp.neurology.org/content/6/3/259