CLERAMBAULT SYNDROME: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment

You may have heard of erotomania or Clerambault syndrome, that "pathological infatuation." Or maybe someone in your environment could be suffering from this problem. In this Psychology-Online article, we will talk about what is Clerambault syndrome, symptoms and causes as well as treatment that could help your recovery. We will also address other similar syndromes such as Othello Syndrome that could be related.

Index

1. What is Clerambault syndrome
2. Symptoms of erotomania
3. Causes of erotomanic delusion
4. Clerambault syndrome treatment
5. Other related disorders

Clerambault syndrome consists of the person who suffers it believes that a person has initiated a loving contact with him so you think you have some kind of relationship with that person. On the other hand, this person usually belongs to a work and financial environment that is very distant from the person suffering from the disorder. In some cases, the person who is the source of the delusion is imaginary or has passed away. Also, this can lead to a broader paranoid psychosis such as schizophrenia or mania.

The main symptoms of erotomanic delirium is that the person she thinks there is someone in love with her and has stalking behaviors towards this person.

The person who presents the erotomanic delusion, usually a woman, ends up reproaching, vindicating the truth of the alleged attempts of love contact by the man and she may have aggressive reactions to him, revenge and extreme behaviors in order to show that, indeed, said man tries to have a contact Romantic. He believes that through subtle forms such as body postures, subtle messages through the media, if it is a public figure, dress, way of placing household objects, the supposed admirer sends messages romantics.

Clerambault syndrome has several risk factors:

• It is common for it to arise following another psychological disorder As the bipolar I disorder wave schizophrenia.
• The alcohol and antidepressant intake it can also produce this pathology.
• On the other hand, it is believed that there may be a genetic factor combined with the repression of some sexual urges.
• In patients with erotomania, a asymmetry in some parts of the brain and higher volumes in other parts such as the lateral ventricles, compared to people without this disorder.

However, it is not known for sure what the triggering factor for this disorder may be. Both in this, and in the disorders that we will see later, there have been situations in which delirium appears as a result of a deterioration of the cerebral cortex or alcoholism.

Also, the disorder is more common in single middle-aged women who have high expectations in their life. However, men with this disorder are more likely to commit violence and harassment compared to women who have this disorder.

Treatment is usually a combination of antipsychotic medication, antidepressants, and psychotherapy Through which the person is confronted with reality, although in a gradual and not drastic way.

In the most severe cases of erotomanic delirium, hospital admission may be necessary and there is generally a poor prognosis. In addition, it is also very useful to modify the environment, establish routines with the person and take her away from the environment in which the person is the source of the delusion.

In erotomania, as in the syndromes that we will talk about below, the use of antipsychotic drugs is frequent in order to reduce the level of arousal and hallucinations of the person. In addition, with psychotherapy the distinction between realistic and unrealistic thoughts, different types of relaxation would be worked on and the most irrational thoughts would be modified and alien to reality. In addition, this can be combined with small expositions to reality, which should be done cautiously and gradually.

There are several syndromes that are also quite related to Clerambault Syndrome due to its delusional nature. One of them is the Othello syndromeIn this, the person develops the delusion that his partner is unfaithful.

The Delusional misidentification syndromes (SIED) They are syndromes that we could also relate by theme with the previous ones since their operation is similar. These syndromes would include Fregoli syndrome and the Capgras syndrome. In the latter, the person believes that a person around him, generally a living relative, is replaced by a double, while Frégoli Syndrome is the delusional belief that different people are actually the same person disguised.

Both in erotomania and in celotype (or Othello Syndrome), the person's self-esteem would also be worked on since it has a high influence on this type of disorder.

In all of them, the person develops a obsession to show that what he defends is real. To do this, he commits behaviors of all kinds that, in the most extreme cases, end in homicide. That is why, in this type of disorder, it is necessary to multidisciplinary approach by professionals from the moment in which behaviors of this type begin to be identified. An early approach improves the prognosis.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Clerambault syndrome: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Feelings.

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