ENGLISH
REFERENCE

derangement Syndrome

idiom
Meaning

The acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal and balanced people triggered by the mention of a specific topic.


Origin

first recorded 21st c.

Coined in 2003 by Charles Krauthammer as Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) in The Washington Post article "The Delusional Dean".

Examples
SIMPLE

He suffers from Derangement Syndrome whenever we talk about politics.

CONTEXTUAL

The office meeting turned chaotic when the manager mentioned the new policy, triggering a clear case of Derangement Syndrome among the staff.

COMPLEX

Observers noted that even the most rational scholars were not immune to Derangement Syndrome when the controversial topic was introduced during the academic debate.

Anchors to
Related idioms3entries
  1. 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.

  2. 02

    floppy infant syndrome

    Hypotonia.

  3. 03

    revolving door syndrome

    A situation in which employee turnover in an organization is inordinately high.

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