Capgras Delusion in the Digital Age

Authors: Maltri R, Figueiredo TP and Pedroso VSP*

DOI: 10.23880/pprij-16000267

Volume 6, Issue 1

Abstract

We present a brief case report, referring to a 37-year-old female patient admitted to hospital due to a psychotic crisis. During her hospitalization, the patient revealed exuberant psychopathology, with the particularity of a phenomenon analogous to the classic Capgras syndrome. However, in her particular presentation, instead of reporting the replacement of people by lookalikes, the patient said that her contacts from a message application on her smartphone would have been replaced by fake contacts, such as digital look-alikes. The case reveals how classic psychopathological presentations can unfold in new guises, reflecting the socio-cultural changes of each period of time.

Keywords: Persecutory delusions; Hallucinations; Schizophrenia

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