Bryan Kohberger and Luigi Mangione's isolation could have deepened due to visual snow syndrome (VSS). Experts told the Daily Mail that the rare neurological condition causes people to see the world through a haze, as if they are using a 'broken' TV, and prevents them from holding down a job or being in a relationship.
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Recently, Kohberger admitted to killing four students of the University of Idaho to avoid the death penalty. The 30-year-old, who was a criminology PhD student at Washington State University, entered a house 10 miles away and butchered four University of Idao students with a knife in 2022.
Meanwhile, Luigi Mangione is accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in New York City in December last year. He was taken into custody in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after authorities found a gun without a license, a silencer, and fake ID cards in his possession.
Visual snow syndrome: what is it?
According to the National Institutes of Health, VSS is a disorder "characterized by persistent visual disturbances, including the visual snow phenomenon, palinopsia, heightened perception of entoptic phenomena, impaired night vision, and photophobia."
{{/usCountry}}According to the National Institutes of Health, VSS is a disorder "characterized by persistent visual disturbances, including the visual snow phenomenon, palinopsia, heightened perception of entoptic phenomena, impaired night vision, and photophobia."
{{/usCountry}}Experts suggest that in severe cases, the condition might "trap" patients in their realities.
Dr Bhavin Shah, an optometrist, told Daily Mail that more than 80% of what people take in from the world comes through vision. This means that VSS can leave an individual "feeling disconnected and finding it harder to interact with others".
Adding to this, California-based forensic psychiatrist Dr Carole Lieberman said this can even leave people feeling "hyper-aroused" and "hyper-stressed out," since they find it extremely difficult to see those around them.
Kohberger was connected to an online account which regularly posted about how the rare condition made it a struggle for him to connect with reality. In 2011, when Kohberger was 16, the account mentioned in a post that his vision made him think that the world was like a "video game".
Meanwhile, Mangione was linked to a Reddit account that could have referenced the condition. He pleaded not guilty to charges of killing the United Healthcare CEO. In 2018, a post from the account stated that it was trying to make a joke about suffering from VSS.
Apart from this, Mangione is said to have suffered from brain fog and chronic back pain.
While the prosecutors have not stated whether both of them were formally diagnosed with the condition, experts said it was undeniable that it might have impacted their mental health.
The experts highlight that nearly 2% of Americans suffer from VSS and even struggle to get diagnosed.
FAQs
1. Who was targeted by Bryan Kohberger?
He killed Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
2. Who is Luigi Mangione?
The former Ivy League student was arrested as a suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder.
3. When did Luigi Mangione kill Brian Thompson?
Mangione killed Thompson on December 4 last year in Manhattan, New York.