Sensitive souls, stay away. What this man is going through is so incredible, it makes The Exorcist look like a work for the general public. Healthy until recently, in recent years he has developed a rare disease that makes him see demons everywhere. Here's a look back at a story that will make you want to take out your rosary beads.
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He sees demons everywhere
Cole Sear, the mythical character from the film Sixth Sense, isn't the only one haunted by nightmarish visions. Victor Sharrah, a 59-year-old American living in Clarksville, Tennessee, is also part of the lucky people with scary visions. A self-described hypersociable, his life was turned upside down some 3 years ago. The reason? Wherever he went, he saw demons everywhere. He explained to USA Today:
I woke up one morning that way and freaked out.
It was November 2020. Petrified by his visions, he nevertheless had the presence of mind to tell those around him. He sent a message to the bipolar support group of which he was a member. In the midst of the chaos, he received a glimmer of hope. Someone was in a position to give him an explanation.
Prosopometamorphopsia: an evil pathology?
Victor Sharrah suffers from an extremely rare condition called prosopometamorphopsia. It's a vision disorder that alters the perception of other people's faces. But only in real life. Features become disproportionately stretched, shrunken or augmented. Foreheads, cheeks and chins are lined with deep furrows, or may end up in improbable positions. He recalls:
It was scary. I was ready to have myself committed. I thought I'd really flipped my lid.
Only 75 people worldwide have been diagnosed with this pathology. So far, scientists have not been able to explain why or how it manifests itself. They do, however, speculate that the disease may occur after a head injury, epileptic seizure or stroke. In the case of this American, in addition to the lesions found in the hippocampus of his brain, doctors suspect that his prosopometamorphopsia may also be linked to the carbon monoxide poisoning he had suffered. This had taken place a few months before the first symptoms appeared.
Researchers at Dartmouth University have used computer-assisted imaging to reproduce what Victor Sharrah saw. And it's no mean feat, to say the least.
This article has been translated from Gentside FR.
Read more:
⋙ What is Sleeping Beauty Syndrome? Woman suffers from rare syndrome that makes her sleep for 10 days
Sources used:
USAtoday.com: 'I freaked out': Man with 'demon face syndrome' hopes story can help other patients
Dartmouth.edu: If Faces Appear Distorted, You Could Have This Condition
