What does zoopsia mean: let’s discover together the meaning of the term, its etymology and the possible contexts of use.
Zoopsia: etymology and meaning
The term zoopsia (composed of zoo- meaning ‘animal’ and the Greek word ‘ ópsis ‘ = ‘sight’) indicates a particular form of hallucinatory delirium , mostly of terrifying content, which manifests itself with visions of animals.
Hallucination consists in the perception of something that does not exist, but is considered real by the patient, who perceives it through a visual experience, but often also a tactile, olfactory and auditory one. In the case of zoopsia, it is possible to distinguish between the vision of large animals, generally associated with an emotional-affective state of fear and threat (in this case we speak of macrozoopsia) and visions of small animals, such as insects, spiders, snakes, mice and bats, which move around the subject or infest the skin, evoking a feeling of disgust and revulsion and a restless and unstable behavior, aimed at driving them away. In this case we will speak of microzoopsia.
Zoopsia and withdrawal crises
First described by the German pathologist Fleisch , the phenomenon called zoopsia is typical of withdrawal crises from toxic substances, particularly alcohol (delirium tremens) and cocaine, but it can also be found in Ekbom syndrome, also known as hallucinatory parasitosis, and in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, linked to a serious thiamine deficiency, usually associated with alcoholism and malnutrition.
