In the lives of almost all people, there is always a certain person who is known for his wit and desire to make jokes all the time, even if his jokes do not meet with the desired laughter and humor.
But who would have believed that such a habit could indicate a person’s disorder and compulsive disorder as a result of a problem in the structure of the brain?
What is the Wetzelstock syndrome of compulsive joking?
The condition of pathological jesting and compulsive telling of jokes is known as Wetzelstock syndrome (WitzelsuchtIt is described as a neurological disorder that causes the sufferer to compulsively joke and over-deliver inappropriate or funny jokes.
According to a report by Psychology Today,Psychology Today) American Mental Health and Psychiatry, the name is derived from the German word (Witz) meaning jokes, and the word (sucht) meaning addiction.
The condition generally occurs as a result of a stroke (or blunt force trauma) in the frontal region of the brain on the right side.
One of the first cases was reported by the German neurologist Ottfried Forster in 1929. At the time, Forster was performing surgery to remove a tumor from one of his patients.
During the operation, while the man was still conscious as was usual at the time, the doctor noticed strange behavior as he began operating on the brain tumor while it was being removed. The man suddenly engaged in a “mad journey of joking and telling jokes”, according to a report on Wetzelsocket syndrome on BBC Future (BBC Future).BBC FutureBritish Science and Information.
That same year, psychiatrist Abraham Brill reported encountering similar patients who would joke about “anything and everything,” even when not strapped to an operating table. It was then that the syndrome was first linked to frontal lobe injuries.
The causes that lead to suffering from the strange syndrome
The frontal lobe of the human brain controls personality, temperament, and sense of humor, and changes in this region can lead to dramatic shifts in moods, tastes, and interests.
According to the site “Gizmodo” (Gizmodo), people who experience blows, injuries and accidents on the left side of the brain often become depressed and angry, while those on the right side tend to feel euphoric and energetic regardless of anything related to personal experiences and acquired experiences.
And while people suffering from this disorder think that their jokes are funny and very comical and funny; On the other hand, they are not affected by any sense of humor from others, and they do not accept or taste any fun or pranks from others.
According to experts in mental health and neuroscience in a report in the magazine “How Staffworks” (How Stuff Works), damage to the frontal lobe can also lead to more than just compulsive telling of silly jokes and suffering from Wetzelsocket syndrome, it also affects the brain’s pleasure centers.
Therefore, some sufferers may suffer from symptoms of hyperactivity, social anxiety, and disturbances in communicating and interacting normally with others, because the condition also makes it difficult for them to read social situations and the behavior of others in the usual daily transactions.
Ways to deal with the problem
Although the specific causes behind the condition have been identified, to date there are not many ways to treat Wetzelsocket disorder.
However, clinicians can try psychobehavioral therapy of continued explanation and support to emphasize that humor may not necessarily be comical, with training to reduce it and control the psychological urgency that accompanies it.
Sometimes, when the problem and symptoms become so bad that they threaten the person’s normal life, a psychiatrist, mental health specialist, and neuroscientist can prescribe mood stabilizers to try to return the person to their former self.