Have you ever wondered if the same place existed in two or more different places? Have you had the feeling of having stepped on the same place despite knowing that you were in another place? The look allows us to know and interpret the world around us. Human perception can lead us to unthinkable horizons that are beyond our reach. Maybe it happened to you at some point or you have a known person who has told you this. However, this type of thinking does not correspond to a correct appreciation of our environment and we must pay special attention to it. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article we will provide you with information about Reduplicative paramnesia: what is it, what are its symptoms, causes and treatment.
When we speak of reduplicative paramnesia, we refer to a mental perceptual disorder in which beliefs have as their main idea that a place has been copied or built in another space at the same time. In other words, the person suffering from this clinical picture has the conviction that the same site exists in two or more different locations, or that a particular site has been moved to another place. This set of thoughts is part of neurological disorders framed in delusional false identification syndromes.
There are some manifestations that must be taken into account when detecting this disorder. Next, we will mention the main symptoms of reduplicative paramnesia:
- Delusion regarding the identity or uniqueness of a person: the person firmly believes in what he sees or perceives despite the fact that there are contrasting facts. For example, someone may believe that the same person is in two places with a great distance between them in Spain despite having seen them only once or that they have been duplicated. This is called reduplicative false identification.
- Certainty regarding the location of a site and / or a person: the patient suffering from reduplicative paramnesia does not doubt that the same person or a same place has been duplicated or copied, but has an absolute conviction about these facts. This is not about fantasy but about absolute security.
In general terms, we can mention that reduplicative paramnesia has its origin mainly in neurological damage that affects different areas of the brain responsible for the mode of information processing of the world. This means that if we have an injury in a certain sector of the brain, this will have as a consequence some alterations in our daily activities. On the other hand, there are other causes related to psychiatric diagnoses that can explain the emergence of the disorder. Among the most relevant causes of reduplicative paramnesia are the following:
Organic causes
Certain diseases or situations can occur that cause damage to the brain. Damages usually happen in the ventral route of the visual system, which is connected with areas of the temporal lobe. This can cause difficulties in memory processing.
Examples of this group are meningioma, subdural hematoma, migraine, frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, subarachnoid hemorrhage, brain metastasis, Morvan syndrome, arteriovenous malformation, head trauma, ischemic stroke, polygon of Willis aneurysm, and infections such as viral encephalitis and brain abscess, among others.
Psychiatric causes
There are mental illnesses that have a link with reduplicative paramnesia. In this group we will place the bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression, among others.
The causes that we explain here are not always linked to reduplicative paramnesia. Organic disease or neurological damage may not result in this disorder. Similarly, mental illnesses do not have a direct consequence of this clinical picture either. The causes and symptoms that the person presents must be evaluated by a healthcare professional since it will be in charge of indicating an adequate treatment and observing the evolution of the patient over time.
These beliefs can be part of delusions related to some type of psychosis, which is a serious mental illness that requires psychiatric and psychological treatment. That said, we will explain what the possible treatments for reduplicative paramnesia consist of:
- Psychiatric treatment: the patient is given a psychiatric medication depending on the characteristics of the condition he presents. Here it is important to take into account when the symptoms began, what causes determine the disorder, age, sex, personal and family medical history, among others. The most prescribed psychiatric medications are antipsychotics, which act directly in the body, reducing prevalent symptoms. Some examples of antipsychotics are sulpiride and the olanzapine.
- Psychological treatment: therapy can help the patient understand the kinds of thoughts she has about duplicating objects, people, or places. However, it is essential to emphasize the use of medication.
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 Reduplicative paramnesia: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
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Reduplicative paramnesia: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment
