How do you know if you have hypergraphia?
Hypergraphia: The driving compulsion to write; the overwhelming urge to write. Hypergraphia may compel someone to keep a voluminous journal, to jot off frequent letters to the editor, to write on toilet paper if nothing else is available, and perhaps even to compile a dictionary.
Is hypergraphia a mental illness?
In fact, hypergraphia can be related to some types of mental illness, like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but more often with temporal lobe epilepsy. First described in the medical literature in 1921, hypergraphia can inspire something like obsessive and meticulous documentation.
What is it called when you can’t stop writing?
Dysgraphia is a learning disability characterized by problems with writing. It’s a neurological disorder that can affect children or adults. In addition to writing words that are difficult to read, people with dysgraphia tend to use the wrong word for what they’re trying to communicate.
Is hypergraphia treatable?
Although antidepressants have been shown to stanch the flow of words in hypergraphics, the condition is so rare that there are no accepted guidelines for treatment.
How common is hypergraphia?
Hypergraphia is a symptom of temporal lobe epilepsy, a condition of reoccurring seizures caused by excessive neuronal activity, but it is not a common symptom among patients. Less than 10 percent of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy exhibit characteristics of hypergraphia.
What causes hypergraphia?
In the 1970s, neurologists discovered that hypergraphia was often triggered by temporal lobe epilepsy. Scientists later linked it with bipolar disorder. Evidence now points to an abnormal interaction between the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain in hypergraphia.
Can hypergraphia be cured?
Although it tends to run in the family, there is no known cause of manic depression. In both instances, however, the hypergraphic writer generally does not wish to be cured.
What is Dostoevsky syndrome?
The great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky, known to suffer from epilepsy, showed signs of Geschwind syndrome, including hypergraphia. In some cases hypergraphia can manifest with compulsive drawing.
What does it mean if you write your name over and over?
“To doodle your own name means you like attention. How big you write your name over and over again is how much immediate attention you demand. If you write your name again and again in a small font, you will enter the room quietly, but still command attention in some way or another.
Are writers obsessive?
It is common to speak of obsession when we speak of writing fiction. Obsession is a large part of being human, and therefore a large part of writing about being human. As writers, we are taught to write toward our own obsessions, using them as catalysts and fuel for our stories.
Why do schizophrenics write so much?
This trait is common in many writers, as their work is a product of their imagination. Mental health professionals have observed the therapeutic effects of writing on patients with schizophrenia—finding that the creative process assists these individuals with managing their symptoms.
What is hypergraphia?
Hypergraphia is the urge to write, and is largely governed by the limbic system. Hypergraphia is a term used to describe an overwhelming and often uncontrollable urge to write. This condition is believed to be caused by a variety of factors, including certain forms of epilepsy, and may also be present in some who have bipolar disorder.
Why do people with bipolar disorder experience hypergraphia?
People who have bipolar disorder are more likely than others to experience hypergraphia. A type of epilepsy known as temporal lobe epilepsy is one potential cause for the development of hypergraphia. This type of seizure disorder causes interruptions and changes to the brain waves and may contribute to the overwhelming compulsion to write.
Does hippocampal atrophy cause hypergraphia?
Because hypergraphia has been linked to temporal lobe epilepsy and schizophrenia, the hippocampus could have an effect on hypergraphia as well. In another study, patients with bilateral hippocampal atrophy (BHA) showed signs of having Geschwind syndrome, including hypergraphia.
Is there a treatment for hypergraphia?
Certain forms of dementia may also be associated with hypergraphia. There is no specific treatment available for this condition, and several people throughout history have turned this uncontrollable urge to write into a lucrative career.