The strange delusional syndrome called Fregoli delusion is also called the delusion of doubles. This syndrome is rare, and generally, it results from a brain injury, causing the sufferer to believe that a single person can change appearance, so as to appear in multiple forms. The delusional sufferer, also believes that the person who shifts into multiple forms and disguises is persecuting them.
This disorder was first recognised in 1927, when a case described a young English woman who believed that two actors she had seen at the theatre, were pursuing and persecuting her, by following her around London, taking the form of other people, including people she knew.
This disorder may sound strange and irrational and people suffering this syndrome may sound crazy, but generally, they are only crazy in this particular way. Brain injury to the right frontal and left temporoparietal region, has been shown to cause Fregoli syndrome, resulting in impaired brain executive functions, such as self-monitoring, mental flexibility and social reasoning. Hyperactivity of the neurotransmitter dopamine is also evident in this syndrome, which is why antipsychotic medications are used as a treatment.
Books To Read
Drood, by Dan Simmons is a novel which features Victorian author Wilkie Collins as the narrator.
