Is capgras delusion treatable?

vinita · Newbie Joined: 27 Dec 2003 Posts: 3

Hello! My friend has just told me that her husband suffers from capgras delusion. I knew that her husband had certain mental problems some time ago but my friend didn’t want to talk about it since she was embarrassed. She really suffers a lot but she wants to stay beside him and help him. Is capgras delusion treatable?

annalise · Newbie Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 1

Hello! Capgrass delusion is treatable and the therapy should always be best suited to individual symptoms. Persistence is something which very important in treatment of Capgras delusion especially in establishing a therapeutic empathy without validating the person’s delusional system. There are many cognitive techniques that include reality testing and reframing which are often used together with antipsychotic drugs which are commonly used to treat psychotic or mood disorders. Persistent gentle discussion about evidence for the belief sometimes helps overcome the problem.

MDZ · Newbie Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 1

Capgras syndrome/delusion is often resistant to reasoning, partly because those who suffer from Capgras generally have comorbid conditions which may affect their reasoning abilities, so reasoning with him will likely not be productive. Although individual and family therapy should be pursued, pharmaceutical treatment will likely be necessary. Typically antipsychotics, antidepressants, and neuroleptics are prescribed. Without knowing the underlying causes for his Capgras symptoms, it is unlikely, based on the research I have seen on Capgras, that the symptoms will be cured. The symptoms can certainly be alleviated with treatment, but not cured. (This is not applicable to transient forms of CS, such as with severe depression) As annalise mentioned, the exact treatment is very individual as the causes for Capgras is widespread and the resulting treatments are likewise varying. What is most important is fostering an environment of love and support so that even if the delusions are not alleviated, perhaps your friend's husband can live with them without too much aggitation in the interm. For ideas on this take a look at the case study of DS by Ramachandran. He describes some of the techniques the parents of a particular patient 'DS' did to make living a little smoother. One technique that worked well was calling before they would enter the house to let their son know they were coming. This is because those with Capgras typically are able to identify familiar people better by hearing them speak.

Best of luck

jefferson1906 · Newbie Joined: 09 May 2008 Posts: 1

my sister is a bipolar manic depressive who has recently been listening to voices and has become convinced that most family members have been replaced by duplicates.i had her commited to get her back on her medication but the hospital released her without her going back on her medication.she is a highly intelligent woman who previously worked in the mental health industry .she speaks the language and knows what is expected to get released.on returning home she went back to this delusion except i apparently was replaced by one of "the evil dead eyed replicants"[her words]i desperatly need information understandable to an average person.my email is jefferson1906@aol.com

Is capgras delusion treatable?

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