Fit and Healthy Man Left Catatonic After Terrifying Nightmares Reveal Rare Brain Condition
A once fit and healthy young man is now in a catatonic state in the hospital after a rare autoimmune disease left him experiencing terrifying night terrors, hallucinations, and violent seizures. Ben Tarver, 29, from Folkestone, Kent, first noticed something was wrong on September 11, reported by the Sun. He woke up in the middle of the night and told his partner, Liam Nougher, 26, that he had experienced visions worse than a nightmare, saying it felt like he was “inside the dream.” Ben described feeling trapped in a house fire with a woman, adding, “It felt like reality.”
Following this, Ben developed severe headaches, panic attacks, and hallucinations. Concerned, he visited A&E, where a CT scan showed nothing abnormal. However, his symptoms escalated rapidly, with up to 12 panic attacks a day. On September 25, Ben’s condition took a frightening turn.
Liam recalled: “He looked at me, started talking gibberish, and then his body seized up, he fell to the ground, and started spasming and frothing. He was having a seizure.”
Paramedics arrived and rushed Ben to the hospital, but doctors could not determine the cause. Over the following days, Ben’s condition worsened with hallucinations, violent seizures, and paranoia. At one point, Liam had to stay by his bedside to prevent Ben from trying to run away, as he became delusional and aggressive.
Despite different medications being tried, Ben’s symptoms persisted. On October 15, after a particularly severe episode, Ben was finally diagnosed with Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis, a rare autoimmune condition where the body produces antibodies that attack the NMDA receptors in the brain, leading to inflammation, hallucinations, and seizures.
Liam explained: “His immune system is very strong, which is playing against him. If he had a weaker one, he likely would have recovered from this as his body would have given up producing antibodies.”
Ben has since been transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at King’s College Hospital in London, where he remains in a catatonic state. Doctors are still unsure what triggered his condition, as it is often linked to tumors, particularly in women, but none have been found in Ben’s body.
Liam continues to visit Ben daily, but he is now struggling to afford the cost of travel. A GoFundMe page has been set up by Ben’s family to help Liam cover his travel expenses as they focus on Ben’s recovery.
The family remains hopeful that Ben will improve, but his condition highlights the devastating effects of this little-known autoimmune disease.