Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Causes

Treatment

Coping

Prevention

FAQ

Close

Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is a neurological condition that alters how the brain processes and perceives information. This condition can skew someone’s perception of time, hearing, touch, sight, and any other type of sensation.

AIWS commonly occurs in children but can affect people of all ages.The symptoms are often short-lived, and it’s believed that AIWS symptoms can typically result from migraines.

Psychiatrist John Todd named the syndrome in 1955 after Alice’s characters, considering the symptoms mimic Alice’s distorted reality.

Lilliputian HallucinationsDistortions related to how someone with AIWS may perceive the size of their body parts (either as too small or too big) are also called Lilliputian hallucinations. This name originated from Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels.The island the story takes place on is known as Lilliput, where the island’s inhabitants are only a few inches in height.

Lilliputian Hallucinations

Distortions related to how someone with AIWS may perceive the size of their body parts (either as too small or too big) are also called Lilliputian hallucinations. This name originated from Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels.The island the story takes place on is known as Lilliput, where the island’s inhabitants are only a few inches in height.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Symptoms

AIWS causes a range of symptoms. Symptoms can generally be categorized into different types of distortions.

Alice in Wonderland Symptoms TypesSymptoms of AIWS fall into one of three categories:Self-perception: These symptoms affect how you see yourself and how you believe that you relate to the world around youTime: These symptoms involve how you perceive the passage of timeVisual: These symptoms affect your perception of any object, person, or color that you see

Alice in Wonderland Symptoms Types

Symptoms of AIWS fall into one of three categories:Self-perception: These symptoms affect how you see yourself and how you believe that you relate to the world around youTime: These symptoms involve how you perceive the passage of timeVisual: These symptoms affect your perception of any object, person, or color that you see

Symptoms of AIWS fall into one of three categories:

Self-Perception and Time Distortion Symptoms

Examples of symptoms that affect self-perception include:

Examples of symptoms that skew your visual perception include:

Please note, the above symptoms are not an exhaustive list. For example, other symptoms include seeing different colors, distorted faces, or perceiving that objects look flat rather than three-dimensional.

Diagnosing Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

AIWS is not an official diagnosis in DSM-5-TR. So, to determine whether or not you’re experiencing AIWS, a doctor will review your medical history and try to rule out any other conditions that may cause hallucinations or illusions.

Testing for AIWS

There are currently no medical tests that can diagnose AIWS specifically. So, blood tests and imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans might be conducted.

Causes of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

It’s a little unclear what exactly causes AIWS to develop. Researchers believe thatmigraines and other types of headachesare likely the most common cause.

Other potential causes of AIWS that have been identified include the following:

How the Peripheral Nervous System Works

Treatment for Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

There is currently no cure for AIWS, but this shouldn’t cause you to worry. The condition’s symptoms are often temporary. In many cases treating the root cause of the condition will help resolve any symptoms you might be experiencing.

To ensure that the condition isn’t disrupting your daily functioning, your healthcare provider might also focus on treating the symptoms you are exhibiting.

Coping With Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

Properly managing the underlying condition triggering AIWS is the best way to cope with AIWS. Specific causes like migraines can cause a person to experience recurring episodes of AIWS.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Prevention

Considering that the development of AIWS is often linked to migraines and other types of headaches, ensuring that you lessen your chances of getting migraines may help ward off AIWS.

Adopting healthy lifestyle changesand eating nutritiously to keep your migraines at baymay help to prevent AIWS.

Frequently Asked Questions

While it’s possible that schizophrenia might trigger AIWS symptoms,AIWS and schizophrenia and other schizoaffective disorders are not the same conditions.This is because AIWS symptoms are related to theperceptionof one’s surroundings, while schizophrenia’s symptoms involve legitimate hallucinations and illusions.

AIWS symptoms are usually short-lived (between a few minutes and a few days). However, there are some cases where symptoms might last longer.

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Farooq O, Fine EJ.Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Historical and Medical Review.Pediatr Neurol. 2017;77:5-11. doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2017.08.008Mastria G, Mancini V, Viganò A, Di Piero V.Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Review.Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:8243145. doi:10.1155/2016/8243145Blom JD.Alice in Wonderland syndrome: A systematic review.Neurol Clin Pract. 2016;6(3):259-270. doi:10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000251Naarden T, ter Meulen BC, van der Weele SI, Blom JD.Alice in wonderland syndrome as a presenting manifestation of creutzfeldt-jakob disease.Front Neurol. 2019;10:473.Ha H, Gonzalez A.Migraine Headache Prophylaxis.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(1):17-24.Blom JD.The Alice in Wonderland syndrome; what do we know after 60 years?.Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2016;58(4):281-291.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Farooq O, Fine EJ.Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Historical and Medical Review.Pediatr Neurol. 2017;77:5-11. doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2017.08.008Mastria G, Mancini V, Viganò A, Di Piero V.Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Review.Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:8243145. doi:10.1155/2016/8243145Blom JD.Alice in Wonderland syndrome: A systematic review.Neurol Clin Pract. 2016;6(3):259-270. doi:10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000251Naarden T, ter Meulen BC, van der Weele SI, Blom JD.Alice in wonderland syndrome as a presenting manifestation of creutzfeldt-jakob disease.Front Neurol. 2019;10:473.Ha H, Gonzalez A.Migraine Headache Prophylaxis.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(1):17-24.Blom JD.The Alice in Wonderland syndrome; what do we know after 60 years?.Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2016;58(4):281-291.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Farooq O, Fine EJ.Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Historical and Medical Review.Pediatr Neurol. 2017;77:5-11. doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2017.08.008Mastria G, Mancini V, Viganò A, Di Piero V.Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Review.Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:8243145. doi:10.1155/2016/8243145Blom JD.Alice in Wonderland syndrome: A systematic review.Neurol Clin Pract. 2016;6(3):259-270. doi:10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000251Naarden T, ter Meulen BC, van der Weele SI, Blom JD.Alice in wonderland syndrome as a presenting manifestation of creutzfeldt-jakob disease.Front Neurol. 2019;10:473.Ha H, Gonzalez A.Migraine Headache Prophylaxis.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(1):17-24.Blom JD.The Alice in Wonderland syndrome; what do we know after 60 years?.Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2016;58(4):281-291.

Farooq O, Fine EJ.Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Historical and Medical Review.Pediatr Neurol. 2017;77:5-11. doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2017.08.008

Mastria G, Mancini V, Viganò A, Di Piero V.Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Review.Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:8243145. doi:10.1155/2016/8243145

Blom JD.Alice in Wonderland syndrome: A systematic review.Neurol Clin Pract. 2016;6(3):259-270. doi:10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000251

Naarden T, ter Meulen BC, van der Weele SI, Blom JD.Alice in wonderland syndrome as a presenting manifestation of creutzfeldt-jakob disease.Front Neurol. 2019;10:473.

Ha H, Gonzalez A.Migraine Headache Prophylaxis.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(1):17-24.

Blom JD.The Alice in Wonderland syndrome; what do we know after 60 years?.Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2016;58(4):281-291.

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?