Capgras Syndrome: A Case Study

Madame M walked into John Capgras’ office claiming that her family had been replaced by imposters. Moreover, she described that those who have been kidnapped have been placed below in her cellar or underground in Paris. Originally, it was believed that Madame M was experiencing a mental breakdown. However, Dr. John Capgras noticed that this phenomena that Madame M was experiencing was actually a psychological disorder. Although not common, it was prominently seen in women of all groups. Therefore, many believed that this disorder was only a disorder that women could have. But, it was later proven that men could suffer from this syndrome as well. Since patients experience delusions, this disorder is commonly associated with schizophrenia. Moreover, the treatment of this syndrome is similar to that of schizophrenia. This disorder, later named …show more content…
As described in an earlier paragraph, some patients with Capgras syndrome have brain lesions or other evidence of brain deterioration. As a result of this brain fragmentation, those with Capgras syndrome have “mild to moderate cognitive impairment, particularly for tasks of memory” (Sautter & Briscoe & Farkas, 1991, p. 141). This loss of memory contributes to the four delusions, described above, that are typically seen in patients with Capgras syndrome. This is because the memory loss inhibits a patient’s ability to recall memories with her loved ones. As a result, the patient perceives her significant others as imposters. Therefore, this neuropsychological characterization of Capgras syndrome defines this disorder as a “psychotic state with paranoid features, manifested by a delusion of misidentification of a significant other, and having greater anterior than posterior neuropsychological dysfunction,” especially in facial recognition and memory (Sautter & Briscoe & Farkas, 1991, p. 141). Therefore, cognitive impairment is a symptom relevant to Capgras