What is wanderlust? Wanderlust is a disease! What if you just like wandering?

Do you have that friend who is never in the same place for more than one week? If yes, then you know this situation: he always sends you photos of exotic food or places that you had no idea existed. He returns home only for a day, tastes his mother’s treats, and then hits the road again. Traveling has become the norm of life for this man. He is not embarrassed by airplanes, yachts, or the hardships associated with a tiring road.

This begs the logical question: who is sponsoring all these trips? Maybe your friend has an unexpected inheritance or his job allows him to be anywhere in the world? Or maybe he travels the world teaching yoga, or roams the streets of cities as a street guitarist? Nevertheless, he does it, and your inner voice continues to say that this guy is wrong.

Travel addiction: myth or reality?

What if your friend does not belong to himself and has long been trapped in an unusual addiction? To answer this question, you will have to ask the experts. After all, if there are people willing to part with large sums of money in casinos, why not people who spend six-figure sums on travel, exploring the most remote corners of our planet?

Addiction or obsession?

A person who has an obsession with something must meet three characteristics: he strives to conform to a certain model of behavior, he does not see the harmful consequences of his activity and cannot interfere with his desires. Wanderlust does not fit any of the three parameters listed. That is why it cannot be classified as “mania”. Although the desire to travel again can be quite compulsive, instant gratification cannot be proven neurologically. Going on another trip, a traveler never knows whether he will like it or not. “There is no evidence to suggest that a dedicated hiker will experience a dopamine rush,” says Dr. Daniel Epstein, a Florida-based psychotherapist who specializes in human addictions.

Why does travel make us happy?

So why can't some people stop traveling? Why do they get excited as soon as their flight appears on the scoreboard screen? Why do they buy themselves a new suitcase every year and why do they put up with staying in hotels? There is no doubt that traveling makes people happy. From time to time we like to change our surroundings and enjoy getting to know another culture. However, this does not make us obsessive maniacs.

A long journey usually tires you, and after a two-week stay in a foreign country you are strongly drawn to home, to your comfort zone, to your usual activities. Most people get tired of endless flights, take, for example, artists on a world tour. All they dream about is to see family and friends as soon as possible. Perhaps not only psychology, but also genetics is to blame for the addictions of some of us.

Mutating gene

People are genetically programmed to lead a “sedentary” lifestyle. The development of ancient tribal communities clearly confirms this trend. However, not every person is subject to this genetic model. Scientists claim that the DRD4 gene, which is responsible for the control of dopamine, has the ability to mutate. This condition is commonly associated with increased anxiety and restlessness. The DRD4-7R mutation affects almost one fifth of the population. Agree, very impressive figures. This means that twenty percent of people are prone to experimentation. They all enjoy trying new foods, taking risks in business, and often changing sexual partners.

If we take into account the average young European, who is not yet firmly on his feet, we can explain the popularity of hostels, as well as why many of them cannot sit in one place. Now it becomes clear why they hitchhike and embark on various adventures. The mutating gene DRD4-7R whispers to its owner about the extraordinary crowdedness of the Western or Eastern Hemisphere.

Other prerequisites

Scientists believe the gene is more common in people whose DNA can be traced back to migratory populations. For example, it is much easier for Americans to uproot and move to the other side of the country. Among them there are many more convinced travelers. Although there is no substantive scientific evidence to support this trend, there is some correlation.

Psychology matters too

If we abstract from genetics, we can discover another interesting pattern. From a psychological point of view, an avid traveler is not yet a fully formed personality. When traveling, this person is looking for something that he cannot find in his ordinary reality: the meaning of life. Well, partly, single people are looking for new acquaintances and romantic interests there.

Can an obsession with travel be somehow harmful?

The problem lies only in getting used to this lifestyle. When you're 20 and unsettled, sooner or later you'll have to settle down. And then you will fully experience the hardships of existence. It is difficult for you to find a suitable job, because your resume says that you have not stayed in the same place for long periods of time.

Conclusion

There is nothing wrong with traveling until you realize that you are trying to escape from reality. Avoidance of responsibility, family, everyday and professional problems really gives cause for concern.

“My son constantly runs away from home. Every time we can’t find a place for ourselves, we search with the police, call hospitals... And after a few weeks our child is returned home. Our family is prosperous: we don’t drink, we don’t fight, so there’s no reason to leave I can’t find it. I tried to talk to him, to find out why this was happening, but I didn’t achieve anything..." A.K., Rostov

This is the letter that came to our editor. Indeed, every year hundreds of children in the Rostov region go on independent trips. What pushes them to seek adventure? A dysfunctional family situation, an attempt to challenge society, or an illness? We decided to talk about this with Alexey Perekhov, associate professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Narcology of the Russian State Medical University, a psychiatrist of the highest category.

Dromomania in adults is a rare phenomenon

Alexey Yakovlevich, there is an opinion that the cause of wanderlust in teenagers is often the disease dromomania. Is it so? - It's a delusion. Only in one case out of hundreds, the reason for a teenager running away from home can be dromomania (from the Greek dromos - “run”, “path” and mania) - an irresistible craving for vagrancy. This is a painful condition in which children and adolescents suddenly have a strong desire to leave, to run away from home for no apparent reason. Moreover, this desire does not arise urgently, but accumulates day after day. A person suffers, tries to drive away these thoughts from himself, because of this he develops a sad and angry mood, and in the end, in order to escape from this state, he breaks down and drives away. Without preparation, without a goal, he often doesn’t even remember where he was and what he saw. Moreover, during the trip the dromomaniac eats almost nothing, often drinks alcohol and is in a lost state. Such people are easy to distinguish in a crowd by their absent, confused look and increased nervousness. The attack lasts from several days to several weeks and usually ends with a strong desire to return home. - You are talking about dromomaniac children. What about adults? - There are significantly fewer of them. Dromomania in its pure form (as aimless wandering) is an extremely rare phenomenon in adults. But very often there are similar conditions when a person prone to dromomania chooses more socialized paths: constant moving from place to place, travel, etc.

Fast Travel

So why does this disease occur? - Most often, this disorder develops in combination with other disorders, as a consequence of head injuries and concussions. Often dromomania acts as a reflection of schizophrenia, epilepsy, hysteria and other disorders. Moreover, it is mainly men who are prone to this disease. Eliminating the disease (along with other symptoms) is possible only with special treatment. There was a case in Dr. Perekhov’s practice when the parents of a dromomaniac turned to him. The boy was born with a birth injury. He suffered from sleepwalking (sleepwalking) and sleep-talking. And at the age of 12 he began to leave home. Upon his return, he cried and asked for forgiveness, but after a while he disappeared again. The teenager came to Dr. Perekhov only at the age of 14. After the prescribed course of medication and psychological treatment, the patient recovered. - Four years later, before being drafted into the army, he appeared with us again. During all this time, he never ran away from home, he learned to control himself, but we still didn’t let him into the army... - Were there any cases when patients applied themselves? - This is very rare, but still there have been several such cases. One of the patients admitted in a conversation that sometimes he gets “overwhelmed”, he cannot control himself, he gets ready and leaves wherever he looks. One day, in this way, he ended up in Moscow. He realized that something strange was happening to him. Then he came to us... Along with cases of true dromomania, psychiatrists are faced with diseases that have nothing in common with this syndrome, although the symptoms are the same. Several years ago there was a unique case in Rostov - there are about twenty similar cases all over the world. Rostov resident K. was going to buy household appliances. He took a large sum of money, a passport, got into a taxi and... disappeared. The police searched for him for three days: many versions were developed. But suddenly the “missing person” called: “I’m in Novosibirsk. Send money for a return ticket...” At the airport, a thin, dirty, ragged husband was walking towards his wife. There is stubble on his face, fear in his eyes. The “traveler” answered all the questions the same way: “I remember that I got into a taxi. Then there was emptiness. After a while I woke up and realized that I was standing in an unfamiliar city, near the window of a bakery. It was very cold outside. Everyone was wearing a coat, and I in a suit. I want to eat and sleep..." Later, in her husband's pocket, the wife found air tickets: Rostov - Moscow, Moscow - Tallinn, Tallinn - Ekaterinburg, Ekaterinburg - Astrakhan, Astrakhan - Chita, Chita - Novosibirsk... There are several breaks between flights hours. In three days he flew over almost the entire former Soviet Union. After some time, the attack repeated. Relatives took K. to a psychiatrist. The examination revealed that a malignant tumor was growing in the patient’s brain, which resulted in pseudodromania. Unfortunately, it was too late to operate on K....

And if you just like wandering...

But how can one distinguish true dromomania from imaginary one? - Cases of imaginary dromomania occur hundreds of times more often. And if we are talking about teenagers running away from home, then this is ordinary vagrancy. And it is always possible to identify its causes: it is either a protest against excessive demands in the family or at school, running away as a reaction to fear of punishment, domestic violence, vagrancy as a result of fantasies (after reading adventure books, watching films) or as a way of manipulating relatives. For example, in a family where a teenager is constantly bullied, the child often sees only two options - either suicide or escape. And it’s good when the choice is made in favor of the second. In addition, vagrancy is typical for adolescents with certain structural features of the nervous system. Unstable, anxious and suspicious, withdrawn, with hysterical behavior - in each specific case the problem can only be solved with the help of an individual approach. It is more difficult with asocial children, street children, for whom vagrancy is a way of life in which they are not burdened with obligations. It is much more convenient for them to live at train stations, use drugs, alcohol, and sniff glue. Therefore, you can no longer lure them with any social benefits. - So what should parents do if they cannot keep their child in the family? - If a child leaves home at least once, this is a direct signal to contact a clinical psychologist. If a psychologist determines that this is not a form of protest and there are much more serious reasons for anxiety, then you need to contact psychiatrists. And the police will never help you, as your parents think about it. Yes, they will find the teenager and bring him home, but only doctors of the soul will help you figure out the reasons, take the right line of behavior and get rid of the problem.

Svetlana Lomakina

By the way

There are cases when, having arisen in childhood, dromomania persists in adult men and women, and the woman is not stopped by the presence of small children, whose health is endangered during vagrancy. Can professional travelers be called dromomaniacs? They, too, cannot stay in one place for a long time; they are also drawn by the wind of wanderings. However, unlike sick people, they set off on a journey quite consciously, not spontaneously, they think through the route in advance, etc. And most importantly, they remember all the trips very well. And yet, it is likely that they have a mild form of this mental disorder. For example, the Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia classifies the famous traveler Fyodor Konyukhov (pictured), who constantly leaves home on seafaring adventures, as a dromomaniac.

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People's passion for travel has been known since the creation of the world. And it is curiosity that makes people leave their homes and go in search of new lands and a new life. In past centuries, the search for treasures and new lands was the main motivation for travelers. Today they are hunting for successful photographs and videos, as well as unforgettable impressions.

What makes a person go on a long journey? Perhaps these are unfulfilled childhood dreams from reading fascinating books by great travelers and a thirst for adventure, or the desire to come into contact with dangers and obstacles, test one’s “resilience” and return victorious. Or perhaps it is a desire to be alone with the mysterious nature and finally understand oneself, the meaning of life.

Many travelers have left their bright mark on history. Roald Amundsen, Christopher Columbus, James Cook, Ferdinand Magellan, Marco Polo, Miklouho-Maclay... For them, travel was the meaning of life. Most travelers did not focus only on discovering new lands; they founded cities and trade, created paintings and wrote books, and made scientific discoveries.

In fact, nothing has changed today. A person who has recently been sitting at a computer and creating another project, program or masterpiece, takes off and flies, floats, rides or walks towards the sun, wind, water and fire. And no one can stop him. The passion for travel develops into addiction. This passion is akin to the passion for making money, watching TV or living a virtual life on the Internet.

Psychologists call people who suffer from an unbridled craving for adventure and travel adrenaline junkies. Since childhood, these people have been distinguished by their energetic character, difficult to control, and intolerant of objections. They are individualists with their own value system. Adrenaline addicts love risk and usually take part in the most dangerous enterprises, for them the main criterion is the excitement they experience during danger. These are people who are constantly focused on finding new challenges and the limits of their capabilities. These are adventurers from the high road.

In our often gray and boring, “teeth-grinding” rational society, danger and risk are quite rare guests. Therefore, they are necessary for energetic people as a remedy for boredom. Hence the unbridled craving for travel and extreme tourism. People prefer deprivation and risk to comfort and convenience. Non-standard individuals need excitement and adventure, without them they die of boredom. Challenging fortune is what they breathe and live by.

There is even such a disease as dromomania - an irresistible attraction to wandering and changing places. This disease is not very common, but since time immemorial people have been known who suddenly, for inexplicable reasons, disappeared from their home, and then, in an unknown way, found themselves far from it. Moreover, the time period when they were on the road fell out of their consciousness. Most psychiatrists believe that this disorder develops in combination with other disorders, as a consequence of head injuries, concussions and brain diseases. Moreover, it is mainly men who are prone to this disease. Patients themselves usually say that they suddenly “come over”, and they break away and drive or walk, without knowing where or why.

But dromomaniacs should not be confused with professional travelers. Travelers also cannot stay in one place for a long time; they are also drawn by the wind of wanderings. However, unlike sick people, they set off on a journey quite consciously, not spontaneously, and think through the route in advance. They remember all their travels very well. And yet, some psychologists believe that they have a mild form of this mental disorder. It is difficult to imagine that an ordinary person, voluntarily abandoning all the benefits of civilization, would embark on a dangerous and unpredictable journey.

No matter who we turn out to be - dromomaniacs, adrenaline junkies or modest lovers of trips and adventures, tourism and travel will never lose their attractive power for us, forcing us to look for the unknown, take risks and enjoy unity with nature.

Tatiana Kolesnik

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The first time Igor disappeared from home was at the age of seven. Three days later he was found at one of the train stations in a small town located about two hundred kilometers from the capital. The parents were shocked. The family is quite prosperous, friendly, no squabbles, scandals - in general, nothing that could push the child to take such a desperate step as running away. However, the culprit of the commotion himself could not really explain why he went on the run. He just said that he suddenly felt the need to go somewhere. Igor remembered little about his journey. It is not clear why, but Igor’s parents did not take him to the doctors: perhaps they were afraid that the doctors would find some kind of mental abnormality and the child would be registered at a psychoneurological dispensary. Or maybe they just hoped that something like this wouldn’t happen again.

Indeed, for several years everything went well: Igor studied normally, was friends with his peers, attended some clubs... That is, he was like everyone else. However, when he was fifteen years old, he suddenly disappeared again. I went to school and... ended up in Sochi. There he was detained by the police, as Igor was put on the all-Union wanted list. One can only imagine what his parents went through during those days when nothing was known about the fate of their son. Igor again could not intelligibly explain the reason for his action: they say, he left the house, and then he was “pulled” somewhere. I ended up at the station and boarded the train. He remembers what happened next vaguely. This time, the parents finally took the teenager to the doctors. After a thorough examination, Igor was diagnosed with dromomania (from the Greek dromos - run, path and mania), that is, an irresistible attraction to wandering and changing places.

Despite the fact that this disease is not very common, since time immemorial people have been known who suddenly, for inexplicable reasons, disappeared from their home, and then, unknown to themselves, found themselves far from it, in another city or even country. Moreover, a time period from several days to several months often disappeared from their consciousness, just when they were on the road. These incidents were previously considered to be the machinations of the devil, and the “possessed” themselves were persecuted by the Inquisition. Later, psychiatrists paid attention to dromomaniacs, but they did not make much progress in understanding the mechanisms of the onset of the disease and its course. However, most experts believe that this disorder develops in combination with other disorders, as a consequence of head injuries, concussions and brain diseases. Most often, dromomania acts as a reflection of schizophrenia, epilepsy, hysteria and other disorders. Moreover, it is mainly men who are prone to this disease. Elimination of the disease (along with other symptoms) is possible only with special treatment. The patients themselves usually say that they suddenly “come over” and they break away and drive or walk, not knowing where or why. It is almost impossible to fight the disease on your own. Professor A.V. Snezhnevsky writes: “Initially, as with any desire, the patient tries to suppress this emerging desire, but it becomes more and more dominant, irresistible, and finally reaches such a degree that the patient suffering from it, without thinking about the fight, strives for realization of desire, often, even during work, he leaves her and goes to the nearest station, pier, often without a penny of money, without warning anyone, boards a train, ship and goes wherever his eyes look. This trip usually lasts several days. The patient is in This time is poorly nourished, poor, but, nevertheless, travels, changes places. And then all this passes, a state of relief, mental relaxation sets in. Such patients, half-starved, dirty, exhausted, are returned to their place of residence by the police or they themselves have difficulty getting back "There comes, sometimes a very short, bright period, and then, after a while, everything repeats itself."

Igor, mentioned above, despite the fact that he was treated for a long time, did not lose this painful wanderlust with age. Already as an adult married man, three times a year, for no apparent reason, he would take off and disappear. He returns about two or three weeks later, dirty and tattered. His wife, understandably, suffered greatly, but could not do anything, just as the doctors could not do anything. And it’s also a shame that a person can travel halfway around the country during an attack, but still not see or remember anything.

By the way, dromomania is often attributed to tramps and homeless children. Indeed, among the minor “travelers” there are children possessed by a painful craving for vagrancy. However, in most cases the reasons are not medical, but social. The child is running away from his own problems or family problems. Many people are attracted by the fact that drugs and alcohol are easily accessible to them outside their doorstep. As for adult tramps who have left their homes forever, then, according to psychiatrists, dromomania occurs only in 3-4% of cases (regardless of country, region, nationality, etc.). This opinion is fully confirmed by data from the St. Petersburg branch of the International Humanitarian Organization Doctors Without Borders. According to their study, 3.8% of homeless people left their housing due to personal choice, and only 0.2% lost their housing due to mental health problems.

Can professional travelers be called dromomaniacs? They, too, cannot stay in one place for a long time; they are also drawn by the wind of wanderings. However, unlike sick people, they set off on a journey quite consciously, not spontaneously, they think through the route in advance, etc. And most importantly, they remember all the trips very well. And yet, it is likely that they have a mild form of this mental disorder. It is difficult to imagine that a person, voluntarily giving up all the benefits of civilization, would embark on a dangerous and sometimes unpredictable journey.

Are there really born travelers or is travel addiction a disease whose origins should be sought in childhood? The desire to run away from home is an escape from reality. If the disorder manifests itself in adulthood, then the travel-hungry person – the dromomaniac – should consult a psychotherapist. A specialist will help a dromomaniac learn to manage his experiences by increasing a person’s self-awareness and level of responsibility. Dromomania (Greek δρόμος "running", Greek μανία "madness, insanity"), vagabondage (French "vagrancy") - an impulsive desire to change places.

– Traveling can become as addictive as drug addiction. There is a release of endorphin into the brain - an internal drug that acts like heroin and leads to a “high”. When you stop traveling or return from a trip, you experience symptoms similar to withdrawal (depression, anxiety, excessive irritability), says psychiatrist Alexander Fedorovich.

Famous American travel blogger Nomadic Matt says that he always feels depressed when he returns home. However, he was not born a traveler; his first trip was only at the age of 23.

– Post-travel depression is real. Anyone who has returned from a trip knows what I'm talking about. We always think how wonderful it is to go on vacation, but much less often we realize that returning is more difficult than leaving. Online communities help me, where I find like-minded people, but only a little, writes Matt.

The blogger explains his depression by saying that while traveling he changes internally, but the entire world around him remains the same.

– When I went on a trip around the world, I imagined what the world would be like when I returned in a year. But when I arrived home, everything turned out to be as before. My friends had the same jobs, went to the same bars and did all the same things. But I was “renewed” - I met new people, learned a lot of new things. It's like the whole world remains frozen while you're traveling,” Matt explains.

However, psychotherapists warn: if you constantly want to travel, this means that you try to avoid reality.

– Very often the desire to constantly travel is a way of interacting with society. A person commits certain neurotic mechanisms that result in forms of avoidant behavior. If a person is incompetent in something, then he constantly wants to get away from it, to run away,” says psychiatrist Alexander Fedorovich.

According to the expert, people who constantly dream of going somewhere experience pleasure not only from emotional experiences, but also from physical ones. However, under the guise of pleasure from hobbies and interests there is a hidden reluctance to take part in real, everyday life.

“As long as the person himself is not bothered by this situation and it does not come at the expense of his work and family, treatment is not necessary,” Fedorovich continues.

Most often, this situation worries the family itself. On women's forums you can find many complaints about traveler husbands.

– A friend had a traveler husband who spent all the family’s free money on his hobby. At the same time, the wife herself received condemnation, especially from males, that she did not share the interests of her husband and was imposing some everyday nonsense on such an extraordinary person,” Yulia writes on the forum.

Travel psychologist Michael Brain, who first introduced such a concept, says that traveling helps to quickly satisfy the highest level of needs according to Maslow’s pyramid - self-actualization (realization of one’s goals and personality development).

– During travel, we grow and mature and achieve our goals much faster than in ordinary life. In everyday life, we are busy satisfying the most basic human needs (food, shelter, etc.), and during travel, spiritual needs are satisfied. And this happens faster and more noticeably for ourselves. Therefore, of course, we want to travel more and more. To some extent, it’s a form of drug addiction,” Brain explains.

In addition, there are pathological travelers, their scientific name is dromomaniacs. These are people who cannot stay in one place for a long time. A similar term refers to people who have there is a constant desire to run away from home. This desire is understandable for childhood and adolescence. But if the disorder manifests itself in adulthood, you should consult a psychotherapist. A specialist will help a dromomaniac learn to manage his experiences by increasing a person’s self-awareness and level of responsibility.

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14 Dec 2016	May 17, 2016	22 Nov 2015