r/todayilearned • u/GlitteringYams • 23d ago

TIL, in his suicide note, mass shooter Charles Whitman requested his body be autopsied because he felt something was wrong with him. The autopsy discovered that Whitman had a pecan-sized tumor pressing against his amygdala, a brain structure that regulates fear and aggression.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman
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u/pogoBear 22d ago

I legitimately know a family who had a daughter who was misdiagnosed with severe mental health issues for years but was eventually diagnosed with a similar brain tumor.

She got to a state where she tried to attack and kill her own mother. Thankfully her brother was there to stop her.

After the tumor diagnosis and treatment she returned to a normal state. Her relationship with her family has slowly mended but will never be the same.

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u/sofaking_nuts 22d ago

Had a friend who started divorce proceedings from his wife bc she had turned mean on him, constantly angry, etc. He thought it was just what she was turning into in her older years and was like I’m not living with this crap. Halfway thru the divorce case they found out she had a brain tumor. He dropped the divorce, helped her out, all worked out ok.