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Faces are distorted in a “demonic” way: areas of the eyes and mouth appear greatly elongated, facial wrinkles look like deep furrows
Photo: A. Mello et al. / Dartmouth University
The disease is rare, but makes human contact difficult: those affected by prosopometamorphopsia (PMO) see other faces distorted. A 58-year-old patient at the US Dartmouth College clinic described his perception of other people as “demonic”. With his help, a team there visualized the demon faces for the first time for those not affected. The results were published in the specialist journal “Clinical Pictures”.
Eye and mouth areas appear greatly elongated, facial wrinkles look like deep furrows - even where none are otherwise visible. The ears also appear elongated and point to a point. Overall, the computer-manipulated photos resemble gnomes or other fantasy creatures from fantasy films.
The Dartmouth patient is said to have confirmed that the images correspond to his own sensory impressions. According to the experts, PMO is very rare in the 58-year-old, which is precisely why his case could help in treating the perception disorder of others, according to a statement about the study. However, it is important to note that how exactly PMO manifests itself varies from person to person. The shape, size, color and position of facial features varied. The duration of the symptoms also ranges from days or weeks to years.
Misdiagnosis and fear
In the patient observed in the study, the disorder only manifests itself in the face of other people. However, he can see images of them, whether printed or on monitors, undisturbed.
"In other studies of this disorder, PMO patients have not been able to evaluate how accurately visualizations represent what they see," said lead author Antônio Mello, a graduate student in Dartmouth's Department of Psychology and Brain Science. "Because the visualization also shows a face, and you perceive it just as distortedly."
The 58-year-old in the study, on the other hand, was able to compare the editing of photos on the computer with his own perception of the real person seen in the same room. According to the statement, this presented “a unique opportunity.”
The specialist team referred to other PMO patients who needed a correct diagnosis before they could get help. "We have heard from several people with PMO that psychiatrists diagnosed them with schizophrenia and prescribed psychotropic medications," said Brad Duchaine, co-author of the study and principal investigator at the Social Perception Lab at Dartmouth College. In reality, it is just her visual system that is disturbed.
In addition, many of those affected are afraid of even telling others about their problem and of being suspected of having a psychiatric illness. "It's a problem that people often don't understand," says Duchaine. The new study is intended to raise public awareness of this.
How and why PMO arises still needs to be researched in more detail, according to Dartmouth College. In the 58-year-old's case, the study lists several possible causes: a previous bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, a head injury and a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning shortly before the symptoms appeared.
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