Psychology Facts

▲ Capgras Syndrome ▲

》Capgras syndrome, also known as Capgras delusion, is the irrational belief that a familiar person or place has been replaced with an exact duplicate.

》Fregoli syndrome (a similar syndrome) is the delusional identification of a familiar person in strangers. The misidentified and the familiar persons are perceived by the patient as being physically different but psychologically identical.

》The most striking symptom is the belief that the person's loved ones are imposters.
No amount of reasoning can change their mind.

》Sometimes, the delusion is about more distant people, pets, or even objects.

》Delusions may come and go, especially among people with dementia. There may also be the symptoms of an underlying illness, like Alzheimer's or a brain injury.

》People used to think that Capgras syndrome made people violent, but experts now know this is rare and more likely to stem from another condition.

》They (people suffering from this disorder) may, for example, accuse a spouse of being an imposter of their actual spouse. This can be upsetting for both the person experiencing the delusion and the person who is accused of being an imposter.

》There are several theories on what causes the syndrome. Some researchers believe that Capgras syndrome is caused by a problem within the brain, like atrophy, lesions, or cerebral dysfunction. Some believe that it's a combination of physical and cognitive changes, in which feelings of disconnectedness contribute to the problem. Others believe that it's a problem with processing information or an error in perception, which coincide with damaged or missing memories.

》Right now, there is no prescribed treatment plan for people with Capgras syndrome because more research needs to be done. But there are treatment options that may help relieve the symptoms.