Click for  the author's R/C model aircraft he scratch built single-handedly between October 1987 and February 1989 during the ailment in question. 

Science Fiction IllnessTurned Real. A Novel Brain Injury Falsely Labelled *Psychogenic

*misdiagnosed as obsessive compulsive psychosis


Stephen Cattier, sufferer of the condition and author of web site. March 2021. Hoping untrue. Comic words added to photo of Stephen. Cheddar Gorge, UK May 1976.    

This is a true story. My extremely serious and bizarre brain injury has been misdiagnosed by pschiatrists as mental illness since December 1974 - currently obsessive compulsive psychosis. The affected nerves are not dead but malfunction. It was caused by an unknown to science type of mental nervous exhaustion which for several times depleted their fuel to a progressively weakening level enabling them to become injured by non faulty Limbitrol 5 (amitriptyline and chlordiazepoxide) in just nine or ten days on it; it resulted in my mind and body becoming  suddenly and temporarily paralysed. Now, basically, the severely reduced amount of nerve fuel only allows my muscles, mind, speech and emotions to safely work for short periods of time. Over-depleting the fuel causes further damage and a sudden relapse. Improvement occurs in between them but with new symptoms appearing during major bedridden ones. I have spent a total of four years in psychiatric hospitals with it up to 1982 but have since been astute enough to avoid any more major relapses. One of my symptoms since it started in the summer of 1976 is that a major relapse would occur in three seconds if I were to close my eyes for that length of time whenever I am not sufficiently interested in doing it or tired enough. Likewise, the same thing would occur attempting any movement or thought whenever no desire is there to do them. The interest opens the nerves injured fuel gates allowing the fuel to flow safely. Another one is that my breathing stopped twice at the beginning of two major relapses (August 1976 and January 1977) because of going without food for approximately eighteen hours each time which emptied the nerves fuel supply thus stopping them from working. Eating food restarted it by replenishing them with sustenance.

Copyright © Stephen Cattier 1998. All rights reserved.

Site updated 29/09/2024  18:20 GMT

United Kingdom resident.  Year of birth: 1951.

This site's other URLs: www.newtoscience.com  www.misdiagnosedillness.com 

Chapters                            Email  the author: steve@newtomedicalscience.org

  1. Introduction, history, causes for the exhaustion, plus current and some past symptoms.

  2. Symptoms from October '74 to first week of December when the nervous exhaustion event conmmenced.

  3. December '74 to exacerbation of the brain damage in '75.

  4. January '75 onwards, plus report in REDBRIDGE GUARDIAN and INDEPENDENT newspaper, Wanstead and Woodford, London, of ill-treatment I received in Claybury Hospital, Woodford Bridge, Essex (issue of September 24, '76, Vol. CV11, No. 5559, page 1). Newspaper report of the '76 B.B.C. Radio 4 item highlighting my Claybury experience.

  5. Author's religion and the illness. I was baptized one of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1969.

  6. Medical test results including eight EEGs (brain waves) with diffuse abnormalities. EEG 22/03/79, "...raises the possibility of subacute sclerosing leucoencephalopathy." Doctors' reports of author when an outpatient.

  7. The author's photos.

  8. Open Mind magazine article about my case, issue No. 60, Dec. '92/Jan. '93, page 14.

  9. The latest news in my becoming diagnosed.

  10. The author's videos clips.

  11. My sister Janet's web site comprising of her musical compositions and poems.