Fregoli delusion | |
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Other names | Fregoli syndrome |
Specialty | Neuropsychiatry |
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.