Fregoli delusion

Fregoli delusion
Other namesFregoli syndrome
SpecialtyNeuropsychiatry

The Fregoli delusion (or Fregoli syndrome) is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise.[1] The syndrome may be related to a brain lesion[2][3] and is often of a paranoid nature, with the delusional person believing themselves persecuted by the person they believe is in disguise.[4]

A person with the Fregoli delusion can also inaccurately recall places, objects, and events. This disorder can be explained by "associative nodes". The associative nodes serve as a biological link of information about other people with a particular familiar face (to the patient). This means that for any face that is similar to a recognizable face to the patient, the patient will recall that face as the person they know.[5]

The Fregoli delusion is classed both as a monothematic delusion, since it only encompasses one delusional topic, and as a delusional misidentification syndrome (DMS), a class of delusional beliefs that involve misidentifying people, places, or objects.[6] Like Capgras delusion, psychiatrists believe it is related to a breakdown in normal face perception.

  1. ^ Bate, Sarah (2017-09-09). Face Recognition and its Disorders. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-137-29277-3.
  2. ^ Devinsky, Orrin (6 January 2009). "Delusional misidentifications and duplications: Right brain lesions, left brain delusions". Neurology. 72 (1): 80–87. doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000338625.47892.74. PMID 19122035. S2CID 207103708.
  3. ^ Feinberg, Todd; Eaton, Lisa; Roane, David; Giacino, Joseph (1999). "Multiple Fregoli Delusions after Traumatic Brain Injury". Cortex. 35 (3): 373–387. doi:10.1016/S0010-9452(08)70806-2. PMID 10440075. S2CID 43432798.
  4. ^ Meagher, David; O’Connell, Henry; McFarland, John; Moloney, Noreen; Leonard, Maeve (2020). Problem-Based Psychiatry E-Book: Problem-Based Psychiatry E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7020-8069-2.
  5. ^ Tibbetts, Paul. " Symbolic Interaction Theory and the Cognitively Disabled: A neglected Dimension." Jstor. Winter 2004. Web. 28 September 2011 Symbolic Interaction Theory and the Cognitively Disabled: A Neglected Dimension
  6. ^ Mojtabai R (September 1994). "Fregoli syndrome". Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 28 (3): 458–62. doi:10.3109/00048679409075874. PMID 7893241. S2CID 1436302.