Capgras delusion
Capgras delusion or Capgras syndrome is a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, another close family member, or pet has been replaced by an identical impostor. It is named after Joseph Capgras (1873–1950), the French psychiatrist who first described the disorder.
| Capgras delusion | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Capgras syndrome |
| Pronunciation |
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| Specialty | Psychiatry |
| Symptoms | Delusion that familiar people or pets have been replaced by identical imposters; aggression with the person suspected as an imposter |
| Complications | Violence, homicide |
| Causes | Uncertain; exacerbated by head injury |
| Risk factors | Neuroanatomical damage, schizophrenia |
| Prevention | Unknown |
| Treatment | No cure; therapy generally used |
| Medication | Antipsychotics |
The Capgras delusion is classified as a delusional misidentification syndrome, a class of delusional beliefs that involves the misidentification of people, places, or objects. It can occur in acute, transient, or chronic forms. Cases in which patients hold the belief that time has been "warped" or "substituted" have also been reported.
The delusion most commonly occurs in individuals diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, usually schizophrenia, but has also been seen in brain injury, dementia with Lewy bodies, and other forms of dementia. It presents often in individuals with a neurodegenerative disease, particularly at an older age; it has also been reported as occurring in association with diabetes, hypothyroidism, and migraine attacks. In one isolated case, the Capgras delusion was temporarily induced in a healthy subject by administration of ketamine. It occurs more frequently in females, with a female to male ratio of approximately 3∶2.