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Originally Posted by amandalouise
here in America we dont have this mental disorder, and its not grouped in with what america calls dissociative disorders......
thats not to say people here dont have this problem. its just that the symptoms are named anxiety/panic disorders, Aspergers, Attention deficit disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder, and other mental and physical health problems where concentration, information overload, over stimulation and anxiety are symptoms, and depending upon other accompanying symptoms.
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No, this is different than all of those things you mentioned.
As was stated, it is specifically in reaction to exposure to art- I think it is generally believed to be psychosomatic in origin. It's basically like "wow this thing is so overwhelmingly beautiful it's making me crazy".
It is fairly common in places that are considered centers of fine art- but many of the tourists who experience it do not recognize it. It is thought to be attributable to many other possible factors, and there is also a spectrum of severity.
This is a blog entry about it, but it includes a link to a short podcast called "Stendhal Syndrome: Kicked in the Brain by Art".
I ran across it a while ago- NPR also did a segment on it. It's kind of fascinating how are brains deal with "wow." sometimes.