estimatiits

Estimatiits is a fictional neuropsychiatric concept used in speculative and educational contexts to illustrate how numerical estimation can influence cognition. It is not recognized as a real medical disorder by official classification systems.

The term blends estimate with the -itis suffix, using an inflammatory metaphor to highlight the persistence of estimation concerns in didactic simulations.

Core features include persistent preoccupation with estimating quantities, compulsive estimation of everyday values, anxiety when exact numbers are unavailable, and impaired decision making in tasks requiring precise data.

In fictional accounts, proposed causes involve amplification of cognitive biases, trait anxiety, and extensive exposure to quantitative tasks. Mechanistic explanations remain speculative, with no empirical evidence.

In literature, fictional diagnostic criteria require ongoing estimation-related symptoms for several months, functional impairment, and exclusion of real disorders. Management features cognitive-behavioral strategies, exposure to uncertainty, and education about biases, still without real-world guidelines.

No prevalence data exist; the concept originated in modern speculative writing to discuss numeracy and metacognition.