FREGOLI SYNDROME: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES AND TREATMENTS - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The syndrome Fregolli is a mental disorder that affects a very small percentage of the population. It is characterized by the irrational belief that different people in the patient's life are actually the same; This supposed individual would use techniques such as disguise to pursue him without attracting attention.

Because the main symptom is a persecutory mania, Fregoli syndrome is usually classified within the paranoid-type disorders. It is not yet known exactly why it is caused; however, it is believed to have to do with certain visual memory problems and damage to the brain centers responsible for facial recognition.

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This disorder is very rare, and usually only occurs after a brain injury. Still, it is important to understand what its main symptoms are, what problems it causes in the lives of those who suffer from it, and whether it is possible to treat it or not. In this article we will tell you the most important information that exists today about him.

Symptoms

Most of the symptoms of Fregoli syndrome are exclusively mental in nature. However, there are also some others that have more to do with the body than with the brain. In this section we talk about all of them.

Persecutory mania

As we have already seen, people with Fregoli syndrome are convinced that someone is chasing them. This alleged individual would use disguises and concealment techniques to impersonate others. Thus, both people close to the patient and any stranger they come across can become suspects.

The problem comes, according to the latest studies, from a series of problems in the area of ​​visual recognition. People with Fregoli are not able to properly distinguish some faces from others, so they can mistake anyone for their alleged persecutor.

Problems with mental functions

In addition to the difficulties experienced in facial recognition, patients with Fregoli also have impaired other cognitive functions.

For example, their problems with visual memory lead them to confuse situations and invent scenarios that make their chase fantasies more believable.

On the other hand, studies in this regard show that they have less cognitive flexibility (which would explain their obsession with this particular subject), difficulties regulating their emotions, and a decreased ability to think coherently. All of this increases the severity of his persecution mania.

Epilepsy and seizures

Regarding the purely physical symptoms, Fregoli syndrome is frequently accompanied by seizures and epileptic seizures.

However, today it is unknown if these are symptoms of the disease, or if they could be related in some way to its causes.

Comorbidity with other disorders

Usually, Fregoli syndrome does not occur in isolation. People who suffer from it tend to suffer from other mental illnesses as well, which often cause problems such as hallucinations and delusions. Generally, the most common disorder among these patients is schizophrenia.

The hallucinations consist of perceiving external stimuli to the person that do not really exist. For example, they may hear voices, have visions, or feel like someone is touching them. Delusions, on the other hand, are irrational beliefs that are maintained even in the face of evidence that they are false.

When symptoms of schizophrenia, delusions or hallucinations appear, the persecutory mania of patients can become even more serious.

Causes

Today, the exact causes that cause a person to suffer from Fregoli syndrome are unknown. However, there are some theories in this regard, which are increasingly supported within the scientific community.

Brain injury

The currently accepted theory about the causes of Fregoli is the presence of one or more lesions in different areas of the brain. These injuries may have been caused by head trauma, stroke, or a multitude of other situations.

Not all areas of the brain cause the appearance of this syndrome to be damaged. So far, three have been identified that seem to be especially involved in its development: the frontal lobe, the fusiform gyrus, and the temporoparietal lobe.

These three areas are involved in image processing and in controlling one's thoughts. It is believed that when one or more of them are damaged, the person begins to confuse faces and develop irrational ideas. This process can end up leading to Fregoli syndrome.

Levodopa treatment

In addition to the aforementioned brain injuries, a drug has been identified that could be related to the appearance of this disorder. It is Levodopa, a catecholaminergic that is used in the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's.

Its main effect is the increase of dopamine levels in the brain. This can help alleviate the symptoms of some diseases; however, in very high doses it can also end up causing delusions and hallucinations. In a significant part of the Fregoli cases, the patient was taking this drug.

Treatments

Because it is a syndrome caused almost exclusively by physical problems, treatment is usually carried out by means of psychotropic drugs.

The use of therapies is not usually useful to combat the irrational ideas of these patients, although in some cases they can help alleviate some of the symptoms.

Fregoli syndrome has quite a few elements in common with schizophrenia. Therefore, the first medications that the patient will have to take will be antipsychotics, which seek to regulate mental functions to make delusions disappear.

If your symptoms also include epilepsy or seizures, the person will also need to take anticonvulsants; and if any other underlying pathology is found, trifluoperazine treatment will normally be administered.

Finally, in the event that the symptoms of Fregoli syndrome are suspected to have been caused by the use of some other medication, the doctor or psychiatrist will have to identify what it is and adjust the dose to help reduce the more serious symptoms.

References

1. "Fregoli Syndrome vs Capgras Syndrome" in: Lybrate. Retrieved on: October 31, 2018 from Lybrate: lybrate.com.
2. "The Fregoli delusion" in: Glenn Miller MD. Retrieved on: October 31, 2018 from Glenn Miller MD: glennmillermd.com.
3. "Fregoli Syndrome" in: Psychology and Mind. Retrieved on: October 31, 2018 from Psychology and Mind: psicologiaymente.com.
4. "Fregoli Syndrome" in: Syndrome De. Retrieved on: October 31, 2018 from Syndrome De: sindrome-de.info.
5. "Fregoli delusion" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: October 31, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.