Background Erotomania, also known as “de Clérambault’s Syndrome”, is a psychiatric syndrome characterized by the delusional belief that one is loved by another person of, generally of a higher social status. Erotomania has always been a target of attempts of conceptualization, and the utility of regarding Erotomania as an independent syndrome has been questioned to this day. Erotomania has a much higher prevalence in the female sex, and male Erotomania is a rare and probably underdiagnosed condition. Male Erotomania is only more prevalent in forensic samples, since male sex is one of the risk factors for violent behavior in this disorder. In this article, we aim to describe an uncommon case of Erotomania occurring in a male, hoping to add to literature and to reflect on the implications of the occurrence of Erotomania in men. By discussing the case in light of the different described clinical pictures, proposed diagnostic criteria and classifications, we also aim to contribute to the ongoing attempt to conceptualize this syndrome and to understand the pertinence of considering it an independent nosological entity. Case presentation We describe a case of Erotomania in a middle-aged Caucasian Portuguese male, with consecutive erotic delusions, followed by a classic turn to a persecutory delusion. The patient was admitted as an inpatient in a psychiatry unit and he was medicated with risperidone 3 mg and diazepam 3 mg daily. His persecutory delusion remitted a 4 days later, he gained insight and was discharged to follow-up as an outpatient. He retains his erotic delusional beliefs, but these are less intense, and has not presented further aggressive behavior. Conclusions We can conclude that it seems reasonable to retain the operative concept of Erotomania as a subtype of Persistent Delusional Disorder/Delusional Disorder, since cases fitting the classical descriptions of the syndrome have been reported, including the presented case. The diagnosis of Erotomania has implications in case management, treatment and prognosis, and missing it, especially in men, may culminate in violent situations that can have legal implications. The developed diagnostic criteria and classifications seem to retain use and should be kept in mind, in the sense that they facilitate making an important diagnosis.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) encompasses a broad range of symptoms and is normally considered a heterogeneous disorder. Sometimes, OCD seems to be psychotic in nature, being complex in the differentiation between OCD and schizophrenia. This report describes a female adult patient who was diagnosed in her adolescence with schizophrenia due to her complains of “hearing voices “criticizing her. In response to team request for a second evaluation, she was admitted to the acute inpatient service. After a careful reassessment, the core symptom was recognized as obsession, and her diagnosis was revised to OCD; this allowed for a more direct treatment and management, with cognitive-behavior therapy and high doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, achieving a sustained clinical improvement over 2 years of follow-up. Currently, she is more functional, participates in social activities, and totally recognizes the egodystonic and intrusive thoughts. This case demonstrates the importance of eliciting psychopathology in greater detail for specific diagnosis and treatment decisions, especially in a complex clinical presentation.
A dissociative fugue occurs when an individual with dissociative amnesia wanders away from their familiar surroundings, maintaining self‑care and apparently normal behavior to observers, lasting from hours to months in a row. New identities can be assumed and even organized travel can occur. While dissociative amnesia by itself may have a prevalence of around 7.2%, dissociative fugue is a rare entity, with unknown prevalence, and there are few reports in the literature. In this article, we describe a case of dissociative fugue in a 34‑year old woman that lasted eight months. Dissociative amnesia with fugue remains an interesting topic for further research since it can present a diagnostic challenge, there are currently no evidence‑based pharmacological treatments and prognosis varies greatly between patients.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.