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#1 amytrip wrote on February 28, 2004:
Healthwatch: Never nude
Chief medical reporter, Dr. Steve Udell, takes a look at never nude syndrome, in this continuing series on underreported diseases for The O.P.’s News You Can Use.
Never Nude Syndrome
AFFECTS: dozens worldwide
SYMPTOMS: include the inability to be completely nude and an unhealthy attachment to denim cutoffs
SYMPTOMS: include the inability to be completely nude and an unhealthy attachment to denim cutoffs
Never nude syndrome has not yet been recognized by the DSM-IV.
They are unable to remove all of their clothing in the presence of other people, or, for some, even when they are alone. It is a condition called “never nude,” and it often leaves its sufferers unable to function in even the most basic situations. So why isn’t this debilitating psychosis recognized by psychiatry’s most influential reference, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM-IV)?
Tobias Fünke, a self-proclaimed actor and former chief resident of psychiatry at Mass General, just happens to be a sufferer fighting for recognition of this increasingly common condition. According to Fünke, there are dozens of sufferers, including two members of the German parliament.
Although it is a psychological condition, never nude may be influenced by genetics. Fünke’s nephew, George Michael, was recently seen at the Living Classic Pageant attempting to portray the nude Adam in a recreation of Michaelangelo’s Creation of Adam—albeit sporting denim cutoffs, a telltale sign of the condition.
But those afflicted by this condition need not worry; most go on to live long and healthy lives. And with the support of their loved ones, Fünke says, some may eventually learn to overcome their fears.
