Syndromes

De Clérambault's Syndrome

De Clérambault's syndrome, also known as erotomania, is the delusional conviction, most often held by a woman, that a person of higher status, frequently someone unattainable such as a celebrity, is secretly in love with her. The supposed lover is usually inaccessible in reality, and the person may believe he is prevented from openly declaring his feelings for various reasons, sometimes going on to pursue, stalk, or otherwise attempt to make contact with him. It can occur on its own or as a feature of an underlying psychotic illness such as paranoid schizophrenia.

Illustration

A woman becomes convinced that a well-known television presenter she has never met is deeply in love with her and is sending her coded messages of affection during his broadcasts, and despite never having exchanged a word with him, she begins writing to his studio daily and eventually travels to wait outside the building where he works.

References

• Casey, P. & Kelly, B. (2019). Fish's Clinical Psychopathology, 4th ed. Appendix I, 'Psychiatric Syndromes'.