A British university student had to drop out of school because of chronic déjà vu. The 23-year-old man stopped watching TV and reading newspapers because he believed he had seen it all before, reports the Telegraph.
The bizarre case of déjà vu — French for "already seen" — left him feeling he was "trapped in a time loop."
Most people have occasional feelings of déjà vu, but frequent and intense episodes are usually connected to a form of epilepsy. The student's case is unusual because tests found no neurological problems. However, the Telegraph reports that anxiety may have triggered the condition and been aggravated by LSD. Psychology expert Dr. Christine Wells said it could be the first case of chronic déjà vu triggered by anxiety.
The student began complaining of episodes in 2007, shortly after entering university. He had a history of anxiety, as well as a fear of germs. The episodes became worse in the following years, and he stopped watching television and reading newspapers in 2010 because he felt he had already "encountered the content before."
"It appears as though the episodes of déjà vu could be linked to anxiety causing mistimed neuronal firing in the brain, which causes more déjà vu and in turn brings about more anxiety," Dr. Wells told the Telegraph.
"If proved, this could be the first-ever recorded instance of psychogenic déjà vu, which is déjà vu triggered by anxiety rather than a neurological condition such as dementia or epilepsy."
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