Abstract
Misidentification delusions involve an incorrect belief about the identity of other people, oneself, animals, objects, or places. Examples include Capgras delusion (the belief that a person or animal has been replaced by a visually similar impostor), the delusion of inanimate doubles (the belief that objects have been replaced by replicas), and reduplicative paramnesia (the belief that a person or place has been duplicated). Although encompassing a wide range of different beliefs, misidentification delusions share two common elements: 1) a misidentified entity, and 2) an incorrect belief about the identity of that entity. Misidentification delusions can occur in many different clinical conditions. These include, for example, schizophrenia, dementia, affective disorders, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. This chapter reviews different types of misidentification delusions, examining the etiology and prevalence of misidentification delusions and offering a theoretical explanation based on Langdon and Coltheart's two-factor theory of delusions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Troublesome Disguises |
| Subtitle of host publication | Managing Challenging Disorders in Psychiatry |
| Editors | Dinesh Bhugra, Gin S. Malhi |
| Place of Publication | West Sussex, UK |
| Publisher | Wiley-Blackwell, Wiley |
| Pages | 169-185 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Edition | 2nd |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781118799574 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781119993148 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Jan 2015 |