A case of a patient with a Capgras delusion during the postpartum period

Article Sidebar

28-Sep-5748.pdf
Published Oct 28, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i10.5748

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Submit your own article

Register as an author to reserve your spot in the next issue of the Medical Research Archives.

Author Registration

Join the Society

The European Society of Medicine is more than a professional association. We are a community. Our members work in countries across the globe, yet are united by a common goal: to promote health and health equity, around the world.

Join Europe’s leading medical society and discover the many advantages of membership, including free article publication.

Membership

Main Article Content

Elizabeth Nickram-Validum, Psychiatrist
GPHC
Dr. Bhiro Persaud Harry, Psychiatrist
GPHC

Abstract

Objective: To describe the case of a patient with a Capgras delusion within the postpartum period and to highlight its link with violence.


Method: The case under consideration in this article serves as an illustrative example of a patient experiencing a psychotic disorder characterized by a Capgras delusion during the postpartum period. The patient is under the conviction that a familiar individual has been supplanted by an indistinguishable impostor. In this instance it is noted that the patient harbors suspicions regarding the malevolent intentions of this impostor, which finally precipitate violent behavior.


Result: This case underscores the importance of comprehensive screening for patients with psychosis, particularly in relation to Capgras delusion and its potential association with malevolent intentions.


Conclusion: The paramount consideration in instances of psychosis within the postpartum period is the safeguarding of the infant’s welfare. It is advised that a meticulous assessment of the patient’s psychotic manifestations be conducted, given that the potential for violent conduct may encompass familial members at large.

Keywords: Capgras delusion, Postpartum psychosis, Violence in psychosis, Maternal mental health, Psychotic disorders, Postpartum psychiatric care, Infant safety in psychosis

Article Details

How to Cite
NICKRAM-VALIDUM, Elizabeth; HARRY, Dr. Bhiro Persaud. A case of a patient with a Capgras delusion during the postpartum period. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 12, n. 10, oct. 2024. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5748>. Date accessed: 15 nov. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i10.5748.
ABNT APA BibTeX CBE EndNote - EndNote format (Macintosh & Windows) MLA ProCite - RIS format (Macintosh & Windows) RefWorks Reference Manager - RIS format (Windows only) Turabian
Issue
Vol 12 No 10 (2024): October Issue, Issue 10, VOl.12
Section
Research Articles

The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.

 

References

1. Capgras J, Reboul-Lachaux J. Illusions des sosies dans un délire systématisé chronique. Bull Soc Clin Med Ment. 1923;11:6-16.

2. Todd J, Dewhurst K, Wallis G. The syndrome of Capgras. Br J Psychiatry. 1981;139:319-327.

3. Alexander MP, Stuss DT, Benson DF. Capgras syndrome: A re-duplicative phenomenon. Neurology. 1979;29:334-339.

4. Bourget D, Whitehurst L. Capgras Syndrome: A Review of the Neurophysiological Correlates and Presenting Clinical Features in Cases Involving Physical Violence. Can J Psychiatry. 2004;49:719-725. Available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/070674370404901102

5. Joseph AB. Focal central nervous system abnormalities in patients with misidentification syndromes. Bibliotheca Psychiatrica. 1986;164:68-79.

6. Ellis HD, de Pauw KW, Christodoulou GN, Papageorgiou L, Milne AB, Joseph AB. Responses to facial and nonfacial stimuli presented tachistoscopically in either or both visual fields by patients with the Capgras delusion and paranoid schizophrenics. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1993;56(3):215-219.

7. Staton RD, Brumback RA, Wilson H. Reduplicative paramnesia: A disconnection syndrome of memory. Cortex. 1982;18(1):23-35.

8. Ellis HD, Lewis MB. Capgras delusion: A window on face recognition. Trends Cogn Sci. 2001;5(4) :149-156. doi:10.1016/S1364-6613(00)01620-3.

9. Pandis C, Agrawal N, Poole N. Capgras’ Delusion: A Systematic Review of 255 Published Cases. Psychopathology. 2019;52(3):161-173. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1159/000500474 .

10. Doe J, Smith AB. Capgras Delusion: Two Case Reports. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2003;31(1):5-12.

11. Silva JA, Leong GB, Weinstock R, Boyer CL. Capgras Syndrome and Dangerousness. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 1989;17(1).

12. Rai S, Pathak A, Sharma I. Postpartum psychiatric disorders: Early diagnosis and management. Indian J Psychiatry. 2015;57(Suppl 2):S216-S221. doi:10.4 103/0019-5545.161481.

13. Raza SK, Raza S. Postpartum Psychosis. [Updated 2023 Jun 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544304/

14. Friedman SH, Reed E, Ross NE. Postpartum Psychosis. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2023;25(2):65-72. doi:10.1007/s11920-022-01406-4.

15. Lewis KJS, Di Florio A, Forty L, Gordon-Smith K, Perry A, Craddock N, Jones L, Jones I. Mania triggered by sleep loss and risk of postpartum psychosis in women with bipolar disorder. J Affect Disord. 2018;225:624-629.

16. Yonkers K, Wisner K, Stowe Z, et al. Management of bipolar disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Am J Psychiatry. 2004;161(4):608-620.

17. Brockington IF. Motherhood and mental health. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996.

18. Wisner KL, Peindl K, Hanusa BH. Symptomatology of affective and psychotic illnesses related to childbearing. J Affect Disord. 1994;30(2):77-87.