Damocles syndrome: what is it and what are its symptoms?

This psychological phenomenon describes a situation of unjustified fear and anxiety.

Throughout history many fables and stories have served as a source of inspiration to give context to some mental phenomena within the psychological jargon.

Damocles syndrome, for exampleDamocles syndrome, for example, comes from a story from classical Greek culture in which a young and flattering courtier is punished by his master, Dionysius II.

In the present article we will know what this story is about, as well as its psychological background and why it has served as inspiration for the syndrome that takes its name.

What is the Damocles syndrome?

This syndrome it takes his name thanks to a fable proceeding from the ancient Greek culture. Let's see what this fable is about.

Damocles was a young courtier, most flattering to his master, the tyrant Dionysius II, who was ruler of Syracuse between 367-357 BC and again between 346-344 BC.

On one occasion Dionysius decides to punish his faithful servant, teaching him a lesson for his exaggerated devotion to him. The tyrant proposes to Damocles that they exchange seats during a meal, and in this way he yields to Damocles.The tyrant proposes to Damocles that they exchange seats during a meal, and thus gives him his privileged place at the table along with all the attentions, as if Damocles were the absolute ruler of the place himself.

The courtier enjoyed his moment eating, drinking, and enjoying the personal attentions of the local women.

At the end of the meal, Damocles looks up and notices that there is an extremely sharp sword there is an extremely sharp sword attached to the ceilingabove his head by only a thin thread of horsehair.

When he became aware of this situation, he lost all desire to continue eating, and he never wanted to receive the "privilege" of sitting in that place again.

It is from this story that the Damocles syndrome arises, coining the term as a reference to the dangers that can come when we least imagine it, or when everything seems to be going very well.

Psychological background of the myth

From the field of psychology, this term was adopted as a metaphor to refer to the state of anxiety that some patients present after the state of anxiety that some patients present after having overcome a certain illness..

In general, this syndrome is very common in Cancer patients who manage to overcome it in an apparently successful way. It is common that after hearing the news they are excited and overcome with an indescribable feeling of satisfaction.

But after a while an irrational worry about a possible relapse begins to set in.They begin to fear that at any moment, when they least expect it, cancer will be present in their lives again, falling upon them like the sword hanging over the head of Damocles.

It is in this way that from the first moment in which these intrusive thoughts come into the subject's life, an ordeal begins for them, in the sense that already their peace of mind is greatly compromised by the fear and anxiety of a relapse..

Symptoms

It is natural that after overcoming a complicated disease, such as cancer, following the thread of the previous example, patients feel some anxiety about the continuity of their state of health.

That is why in order to determine that a person is presenting this syndrome, he/she must fulfill the following criteria:

• Fear of relapse must be irrational and very intense.
• The subject presents high levels of anxiety before undergoing routine examinations.
• Distress begins some time after medical discharge..
• Presence of intrusive and catastrophic thoughts.

It is important to keep in mind that the anxious behavior in the subject must be intense and prevalent for a significant period of timeotherwise it could be due to a specific situation and not to Damocles syndrome.

In any case, Damocles syndrome is not an officially recognized clinical category in psychiatric manuals.

What to do in this situation?

Taking into account that this syndrome is mostly based on intense states of anxiety and anguish caused by intrusive thoughts of a catastrophic nature, the treatment is divided into psychotherapy sessions for the patient and counseling for family members..

In the case of the patient, the process is based on making him understand his real situation, that he is a survivor and that this should be a reason for joy and motivation to have a full life.

The aim is to keep the subject in the here and now, preventing his thoughts from going further and further.The aim is to keep the subject in the here and now, avoiding that his thoughts go faster than the reality he is living at that moment. Psychotherapy based on cognitive behavioral methods are efficient during the sessions.

In the case of family members, the process consists in psycho-educate them so that they do not play a counterproductive role in the life of the subject in question.It often happens that due to lack of knowledge, the family acts in the wrong way and can become extremely protective of the person, causing him/her to become even more anxious.

And sometimes the opposite happens: since they think they have completely recovered, they believe that the best thing to do is to keep them away from hospitals and doctors.

None of these positions is correct, the ideal is to follow to the letter what is indicated by the specialists, to go for routine check-ups and not to make decisions based on personal beliefs.

Bibliographical references:

• Baker, K. (1987). Benet's Re.ader's Encyclopedia.