Apparently "Jerusalem Syndrome" is Real...d'oh

Apparently, 'The Simpsons' storyline from this past Sunday isn't completely unheard of:

This storyline, while certainly creative and twisted in the classic Simpsons way, is rooted in something real.  

At Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center in Jerusalem, doctors have long studied patients with a psychiatric disorder they call Jerusalem syndrome, a very rare condition in which tourists -- on average one or two a month -- become so overwhelmed with the power of the place that they dissociate from reality and believe themselves to be biblical figures.

...

In general, the patients are highly religious Christian pilgrims -- Protestant, not Catholic, he said. Most come from rural communities, are not well-traveled and tend to be in their 40s. They arrive in Israel, often their first trip abroad, with an idealized view of Jerusalem formed through years of devout Bible study. And while it is a holy city, the reality includes traffic jams, omnipresent cell phones, political tensions and security guards outside cafes. Unable to reconcile their long-held idyllic vision with the tough reality, they have a temporary psychotic break.

I'm not sure it's really THAT temporary, but hey, I'm no mental health professional.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/29/simpsons.messiah.syndrome/inde...