Erotomania

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For the song by Dream Theater, see A Mind Beside Itself.

Erotomania is a type of delusion in which the affected person believes that another person is in love with him or her. The illness often occurs during psychosis, especially in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar mania.[1] In one case, erotomania was reported in a patient who had undergone surgery for a ruptured cerebral aneurysm.[2] During an erotomanic psychosis, the patient believes that a "secret admirer" is declaring his or her affection to the patient, often by special glances, signals, telepathy, or messages through the media. Usually the patient then returns the perceived affection by means of letters, phone calls, gifts, and visits to the unwitting recipient.[3]

The term erotomania is often confused with "obsessive love", obsession with unrequited love, or hypersexuality (see nymphomania).

Erotomania is also called de Clérambault's syndrome, after the French psychiatrist Gaëtan Gatian de Clérambault (1872–1934), who published a comprehensive review paper on the subject (Les Psychoses Passionelles) in 1921.

Contents

[edit] History

Early references to the condition can be found in the work of Hippocrates, Erasistratus, Plutarch and Galen. In the psychiatric literature it was first referred to in 1623 in a treatise by Jacques Ferrand (Maladie d'amour ou Mélancolie érotique) and has been variously called "old maid's psychosis", "erotic paranoia" and "erotic self-referent delusions" until the common usage of the terms erotomania and de Clérambault's syndrome.

G.E. Berrios and Kennedy[who?] have outlined[citation needed] several periods of history through which the concept of erotomania has changed considerably:

  • Classical times – early eighteenth century: General disease caused by unrequited love
  • Early eighteenth – beginning nineteenth century: Practice of excess physical love (akin to nymphomania or satyriasis)
  • Early nineteenth century – beginning twentieth century: Unrequited love as a form of mental disease
  • Early twentieth century – present: Delusional belief of "being loved by someone else"

[edit] Presentation

The core symptom of the disorder is that the sufferer holds an unshakable belief that another person is secretly in love with him or her. In some cases, the sufferer may believe several people at once are "secret admirers." The sufferer may also experience other types of delusions concurrently with erotomania, such as delusions of reference, wherein the perceived admirer secretly communicates his or her love by subtle methods such as body posture, arrangement of household objects, and other seemingly innocuous acts (or, if the person is a public figure, through clues in the media). Erotomanic delusions are typically found as the primary symptom of a delusional disorder or in the context of schizophrenia and may be treated with atypical antipsychotics.

[edit] Society and culture

The assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr. was reported to have been driven by an erotomanic delusion that the death of the president would cause actress Jodie Foster to publicly declare her love for Hinckley.

Late night TV presenter David Letterman and retired astronaut Story Musgrave were both stalked by Margaret Mary Ray.

Examples of de Clerambault's syndrome (erotomania) in fiction include Ian McEwan's novel Enduring Love,[4] and the French films Anna M. (2007) and Laetitia Colombani's À la folie... pas du tout (2002), starring Audrey Tautou.

The band Dream Theater has a song titled Erotomania which is the first of a three part suite titled A Mind Beside Itself

The condition of erotomania formed the basis of the plot for the 'Broken Mirror' episode of the United States TV series Criminal Minds. This was the fifth episode of the first series.

[edit] See also

[edit] Media

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Erotomanic delusions and electroconvulsive therapy: a case series." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8071292?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=2&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed
  2. ^ "http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/10/3/330.pdf"
  3. ^ "Erotomania After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Case Report and Literature Review." http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/10/3/330
  4. ^ McEwan,Enduring love(1997) which was later turned into a film also called Enduring Love (2004). New York: Anchor.
  • Berrios, G.E. & Kennedy, N. (2003) Erotomania: A conceptual history. History of Psychiatry, 13, 381-400.
  • Fitzgerald, P. & Seeman, M.V. (2002) Erotomania in women. In J. Boon and L. Sheridan (eds) Stalking and sexual obsession: Psychological perspectives for prevention, policing and treatment. John Wiley and Sons Ltd. ISBN 0-471-49459-3
  • Giannini AJ, Slaby AE, Robb TO (February 1991). "De Clérambault's syndrome in sexually experienced women". The Journal of clinical psychiatry 52 (2): 84–6. PMID 1993641. 
  • Kennedy, N., McDonough, M., & Berrios, G.E. (2002) Erotomania revisited: Clinical course and treatment. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 43 (1), 1-6
  • Munro, A. (1999) Delusional disorder: Paranoia and related illnesses. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-58180-X
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