---
title: "List of diagnoses characterized as pseudoscience"
chunk: 3/3
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diagnoses_characterized_as_pseudoscience"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:28:30.212297+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

== Psychological ==
Autogynephilia is a proposed paraphilic disorder in which a man has erotic interest in the idea of himself in the form of a woman. Autogynephilia is not recognized by any major medical organization and has been criticised as a form of medical transphobia.
Drapetomania was a supposed mental illness that, in 1851, American physician Samuel A. Cartwright hypothesized as the cause of enslaved Africans fleeing captivity. This hypothesis centered around the belief that slavery was such an improvement upon the lives of slaves that only those suffering from some form of mental illness would wish to escape. As treatment Cartwright recommended "whipping the devil out of them" both as a punishment and as a preventative measure.
Female hysteria was once a common medical diagnosis for women, which was described as exhibiting a wide array of symptoms, including anxiety, shortness of breath, fainting, nervousness, sexual desire, insomnia, fluid retention, heaviness in the abdomen, irritability, loss of appetite for food or sex, (paradoxically) sexually forward behaviour, and a "tendency to cause trouble for others". It is no longer recognized by medical authorities as a medical disorder.
Parental alienation syndrome, also routinely referred to as parental alienation is a proposed mental health disorder in which a child expresses hostility or aversion to a parent as an effect of the manipulation of another parent. Given an absence of research-based support for its existence, parental alienation syndrome is not recognized as a mental health disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association or World Health Organization. Despite the fact it is frequently referenced as a defense strategy in family courts where parents, disproportionately fathers, are accused of domestic violence or coercive control, it does not meet the scientific standards demanded by legal tests such as the Frye test and Daubert standard for admissibility in the United States legal system.
Pathological demand avoidance is a proposed disorder characterised by avoidance of every day demands. It was proposed by British psychologist Elizabeth Newsom in 1983 for children who did not then meet the criteria for autism and which she felt shared certain other characteristics, such as an interest in pretend play. Largely ignored until recently, especially outside the UK, it's seen a surge in interest from parents due to social media. According to one paper, there is insufficient evidence to support it as an independent diagnosis. Alternative diagnoses to PDA include ADHD, generalised anxiety disorder, autism spectrum condition, attachment disorder, and oppositional defiance disorder; in some cases, autism is diagnosed, "with PDA profile."
Rapid-onset gender dysphoria is a proposed condition in which someone develops gender dysphoria due to social contagion. The term originates from a 2018 study which surveyed parents of transgender people from anti-transgender internet forums.  While the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association cosigned a statement with 120 other medical organizations calling for rapid-onset gender dysphoria to not be used in clinical settings, the term is still used by anti-trans groups.
Reward deficiency syndrome (RDS) is a term that has been applied to a wide variety of addictive, obsessive and compulsive behaviors including substance and process addictions, and personality and spectrum disorders. There is no consistent evidence to validate any such syndrome. "Reward deficiency syndrome" is not a medically recognized disorder. The diagnostic validity of RDS has not been recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in its diagnostic manual, the DSM.
Sluggish schizophrenia is a proposed form of slow-onset schizophrenia that political dissenters were institutionalised for in communist countries. It was diagnosed in people with no hallucinations or delusions under the assumption that they would appear later.
Stendhal syndrome is a proposed condition in which someone experiences rapid heartbeat, fainting, confusion, and even hallucinations when exposed to works of beauty.
Stockholm syndrome is a proposed condition in which a hostage develops an emotional bond with their kidnapper while in captivity. Stockholm syndrome is considered a contested illness and is not recognized in the DSM.

== See also ==
List of topics characterized as pseudoscience § Health and medicine
List of questionable diagnostic tests
List of fictional diseases
Culture-bound syndrome
Medically unexplained physical symptoms
Quackery

== References ==

== External links ==
Quackwatch: Index to "Fad" Diagnoses
Science-Based Medicine: Fake diseases, false compassion