derangement Syndrome
The acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal and balanced people triggered by the mention of a specific topic.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He suffers from Derangement Syndrome whenever we talk about politics.”
“She experiences derangement syndrome whenever she hears that celebrity's name.”
“Does this specific news channel give you derangement syndrome?”
“The office meeting turned chaotic when the manager mentioned the new policy, triggering a clear case of Derangement Syndrome among the staff.”
“My neighbor usually acts very calm, but he shows signs of derangement syndrome the moment anyone brings up the new city tax.”
“The dinner party was going well until a guest displayed total derangement syndrome over a simple disagreement about the local football team.”
“I try to avoid discussing climate change with my uncle because it always triggers his derangement syndrome and ruins the holiday.”
“Observers noted that even the most rational scholars were not immune to Derangement Syndrome when the controversial topic was introduced during the academic debate.”
first recorded 21st c.
Coined in 2003 by Charles Krauthammer as Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) in The Washington Post article "The Delusional Dean".
- 01
China syndrome
A hypothetical kind of catastrophic failure in which a nuclear reactor melts through the floor of its containment system and (if on land) penetrates the Earth's surface, continuing downward as if (from a Western Hemispheric point of view) traveling through the planet toward China.
- 02
floppy infant syndrome
Hypotonia.
- 03
revolving door syndrome
A situation in which employee turnover in an organization is inordinately high.
Last updated August 10, 2026