Fran?ois Michalon : “When a person loses his mind, one tilt can hide another”

Article de Jerome Jessel

https://medium.com/@jeromejessel/fran%C3%A7ois-michalon-when-a-person-loses-his-mind-one-tilt-can-hide-another-6612e820903

Fran?ois Michalon :?“When a person loses his mind, one tilt can hide another”

How to explain that a star, a political cador or a seasoned businessman suddenly drops his guard and suddenly loses control? Fran?ois Michalon, an expert in human behavior and mental strength, provides some answers.

We often hear “What’s wrong with him?” when we don’t understand a sudden change of behavior in someone who until then was leading a faultless or even exemplary career. Cases of going off course are not rare among men of power. Most of the time, people who have been married to success for a very long time develop a kind of impunity feeling caused by an intoxicating hubris syndrome. It is a personality disorder but not a mental illness. Hubris is inextricably linked to power (money, fame, politics…). According to my observations, it often occurs at the end of one’s career when one can experience the beginning of a narcissistic destabilization. The difficult transition between work and retirement coincides with the entry into old age.

A decrease in vigilance?This critical passage, this last great turning point in life, not free of torments, confronts the subject with multiple losses. During this period of narcissistic destabilization, the subject must redefine himself and revive his identificatory supports thanks to the psychic energy released by work in order to find other sublimatory issues through sufficiently “renarcissizing” activities. Paradoxically, this critical phase where one feels “overpowered” can camouflage a great vulnerability. I have noticed that some very scrupulous, rigorous and even fastidious business leaders who were constantly hypervigilant began to “let their guard down” and put themselves in danger. Some could even lose everything in a few months. It was as if they had gone all-in on their entire life. This is called the “Tilt” phenomenon.

The Tilt phenomenon well known to poker players?Tilt is a phenomenon as old as poker itself. It is caused by variance, the mathematical principle that there will always be winning and losing streaks, all under sometimes incredible circumstances. These extreme situations can make players lose focus and make poor decisions that prevent them from playing at their true level. It is in these cases that we speak of tilt. It is the result of a psychological phenomenon that can be described as follows: a player gives in completely to one or more negative emotions, such as anger, despair or resignation, and tries to force fate. He or she ignores the rules he or she has set for himself or herself, and the losses that result from his or her increasingly uncontrolled play can wipe out all or part of his or her bankroll. One of the poker player’s fiercest enemies, tilt is also a source of loss of control that can have profound consequences on a game, a career and even a lifetime. But be careful, one Tilt can hide another and the symptoms of certain cognitive disorders are quite similar.

A second type of TILT?TILT stands for Toxin-Induced Loss of Tolerance. It refers to a condition in which a person develops a series of symptoms following exposure to various toxins, including chemicals, heavy metals and biotoxins. Common symptoms of TILT syndrome include fatigue, headaches, cognitive dysfunction and neurological symptoms such as tingling or numbness in the hands and feet. TILT syndrome is often difficult to diagnose because the symptoms may mimic those of other conditions and the cause of the exposure may not be immediately obvious.

Sudden change in personality?A person becomes concerned about a sudden change in personality and becomes very careless, when previously he or she was quite the opposite. It is possible that the sudden change in personality may be a symptom of TILT syndrome too. Indeed, symptoms of TILT can include personality changes, as well as fatigue, headaches and cognitive problems. However, it is important to note that there may be other causes for a sudden change in personality, and it is always best to consult a health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.