Delusional Misidentification Syndrome

• although they all relate to the same thing, some specific examples of delusional misidentification syndromes are:

case study

• Atta, K., Forlenza, N., Gujzki, M., Hashmi, S., & Isaac, G. (2006, September 3). Delusional misidentification syndromes. National center for biotechnology information. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2963468/
• Chopra, S. (2011, March 10). Delusional disorder. Medscape reference. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/292991-overview#a1
• Feinberg, T. E., & Roane, D. M. (n.d.). Delusional misidentification. Todd Feinberg. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from toddfeinberg.com/accelsite/media/mediaFile3100.pdf
• Martin, C. L. (2002, September 15). Delusional misidentification and reduplicative phenomena: an introduction. National undergraduate research Clearinghouse. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/353.php
• Sands, L. M. (2012, February 23). What is a focal lesion?. wiseGEEK. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-focal-lesion.htm

signs

• paranoia
• lack of trust
• acts differently around you at different times
• verbally or physically aggressive

services available

• if a family member or someone close is noticing strange behaviour that follows the symptoms previously mentioned they should be taken to the hospital where they can get tested
• once these tests are taken the doctors can refer a place for them to go since this cases are so rare

• people with a delusional misidentification syndrome are not prone to having symptoms all the time; they usually act completely normal other than their one specific delusion
• for this reason, they may recognize that they have a problem, because the symptoms won't be as obvious to them, or even to others
• they may also deny that they have a problem because the delusion seems so real
• in a lot of cases, the patient isn't bothered by the delusions, as mentioned before
• they may not see the delusions as an issue because they may not be particularly upsetting or uncomfortable

community +

stigma

• statistics are hard to find because the syndrome is so rare and the cases are so ambiguous
• it is estimated, however, in the DSM-IV-TR that 0.03% of people in the United States have a delusional disorder
• most delusional misidentification syndromes are more common in females, for example Capgras delusion having a male-female ratio of 3:2
• it has been found that delusions that start at a young age are more likely to decrease over time with help, whereas when the onset starts when a patient is older, the delusions are highly likely to increase over time

• a lot of people are skeptical about the authenticity of delusion
• people with DMS may be considered attention-seeking
• they may also just be considered excessively paranoid and suspicious

negative stereotypes

why wouldn't

someone

get help?

statistics +

facts

what is it?

sources

... small

Delusional

Misidentification

Syndrome

• depending on which type of delusion the person is experiencing, a person with a delusional misidentification syndrome will have certain delusions related to people, time, objects, places, or themselves

• the syndrome often involves delusions of people, places or things:
• being duplicated
• having an impostor
• being able to change or disguise itself to look exactly like something or someone else

symptoms

what types exist?

someone will believe that certain people, usually those who are close to them, have been replaced by an identical impostor

CAPGRAS DELUSION

someone will believe that they are dead or do not actually exist, that their insides are decaying, or that the external world does not exist

COTARD'S

DELUSION

someone will believe that certain places or events can exist identically twice or in more than one area

REDUPLICATIVE

PARAMNESIA

someone will believe that a certain person or people, especially who are already considered a threat, can change their appearance and take the place of others, often in order to spy on the person having the delusions or to prevent them from doing something

FREGOLI DELUSION

MIRRORED-SELF

MISIDENTIFICATION

someone will believe that their own reflection in the mirror is actually another person who is identical to them

treatment

• people with a delusional misidentification syndrome will most likely act suspicious or skeptical
• depending on which syndrome and which case, a person suffering from misidentification delusions may have no feelings of hostility towards people that they believe are impostors, but simply feel confused as to why they are disguised
• in many cases, a patient will acknowledge that what they believe is "crazy" and out of the ordinary, but will still be unable to stop having the delusion

causes

• people who exhibit signs and symptoms of DMS, such as described previously, will be diagnosed with the disorder
• tests that are used to get a further understanding would be to compare photographs of close family members compared to strangers and see how their bodies react when shown the images
• brain scans to show where/if the brain has been damaged
• Dr. H Forstl and his coworkers reviewed a wide range of DMS cases and found that 19 out of 20 patients had right-sided abnormalities with focal lesions in the brain

how would someone who had it act?

diagnosis

• although the exact causes of delusional misidentification syndromes are still fairly unknown, it is believed that the most obvious cause is brain lesions
• in many cases, it is found that the connection between the part of the brain that recognizes things visually, and the part of the brain that recognizes things emotionally, has been severed or damaged
• in other words, a person may visually recognize a person or object but be unable to connect their emotional attachment and memories to that image, therefore causing the delusion that that person or object has been replaced or disguised as something identical

• treatment and recovery rate depends on the type of brain injury
• cognitive and behavioural therapies
• electro-convulsive therapy
• drugs such as anti-psychotics, anti-convulsants, neuroleptics, and tranquilizers
• atypical antipsychotics are usually recommended because they have a decreased risk of neurological effects
• cholinesterase inhibitors (helps to improve memory, thought and judgment)
• it was originally thought that delusions must be distinguished from confabulations because it does not respond to pharmacotherapy but there was a patient whose delusions and confabulations both improved through risperidone treatment

costs

• expense is dependent on the kind of treatment
• it might take time to find a place that handles this kind of issue since it is so uncommon

how is it treated?

what else?

• many people who have DMS will be in denial
• even if the patient is aware that their delusions are illogical they will stand by them
• the delusions will be more common to occur around family members or people that the patient is closest to