Syndrome of subjective doubles is a rare delusional misidentification syndrome in which a person experiences the delusion that they have a double or Doppelgänger with the same appearance, but usually with different character traits, that is leading a life of its own. The syndrome is also called the syndrome of doubles of the self, delusion of subjective doubles, However, subjective doubles delusion differs from an autoscopic delusion: autoscopy often occurs during times of extreme stress, and can usually be treated by relieving the said stressor.
- Some patients describe their double as both a physically and psychologically identical copy, rather than a purely physical copy. This is also known as clonal pluralization of the self, another type of delusional misidentification syndrome that may or may not be the same type of disorder (see #Controversy, below). In this case, depersonalization may be a symptom. (see the case of Mr. A in #Presentation)
Presentation
The following case describes a patient who was diagnosed with psychotic depression, bipolar disorder, and syndrome of subjective doubles:
Taken from Kamanitz et al., 1989: Facial processing deficiencies also do not account for the occasion in which multiple doubles are reported. Suspected organic causes of brain damage that may lead to subjective doubles include disorders such as epilepsy. Antipsychotic drugs (also known as neuroleptics) such as risperidone, pimozide, or haloperidol may be prescribed to treat the underlying psychiatric illness.
In addition to drug therapy, interpersonal counseling has also been suggested as a method to ease relations between the patient and his/her suspected doubles. However, the relationship between the patient and his/her double is not always negative.
History
This disorder was first defined in 1978 by Greek psychiatrist George N. Christodoulou, M.D., Ph.D., FRCPsych. Although the symptoms of subjective doubles have been described before 1978, Syndrome of subjective doubles and its variants were not given the name delusional misidentification syndromes until 1981. but the appearance of doubles of the self were not addressed until Christodoulou's article in 1978.
Additionally, some researchers use varying definitions of the syndrome. While most declare that the double is a physical copy that is psychologically independent, some refer to a definition of a double as being both physically and psychologically identical. This is also known as clonal pluralization of the self, another less common delusion that is grouped with the other delusional misidentification syndromes.