User:Emily Croft/sandbox/Syndrome of Subjective Doubles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The syndrome of subjective doubles is a rare delusional misidentification syndrome in which a person experiences the delusion that he or she has a double or Doppelgänger with the same appearance, but usually with different character traits, that is leading a life of its own.[1] [2] The syndrome is also called the syndrome of doubles of the self,[3] delusion of subjective doubles,[1] or simply subjective doubles.[4] Sometimes, the patient is under the impression that there is more than one double.[1] A double may be projected onto any person, from a stranger to a family member.[4]
This syndrome is often diagnosed during or after the onset of another mental disorder, such as schizophrenia or other disorders involving psychotic hallucinations.[5] There is no widely accepted method of treatment, as most patients require an individualized therapy. The prevalence of this disease is relatively low, as few cases have been reported since the disease was defined in 1978 by George Christodoulou. [5] [6] However, subjective doubles is not clearly defined in literature,[7] and therefore, may be under-reported.[5]