EpistemisErotomania
Specialty: Psychiatry.
Why it occurs
- Chronic delusional disorder (erotomanic type)
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder (manic episode with grandiose delusions)
- Alzheimer's dementia or frontotemporal dementia
- Schizoaffective disorder
Initial workup
Psychiatric evaluation of delusional structure and potential for aggression; Brain MRI if delirium is late-onset.
red flags
Persistent and intrusive harassment behaviors (stalking) towards the person who is the object of the delusion (frequently public figures, doctors or people of high position), which can lead to physical attacks or assaults when believing that the victim's silence is a "code of reciprocated love."
Standard management
- Pimozide — typical antipsychotic historically highly valued in somatic and erotomanic delusions, with strict control of the QTc interval in the ECG
- Aripiprazole or Risperidone — modern atypical antipsychotics with a better safety profile
- Quetiapine — if severe insomnia and dysphoria coexist
Educational guidance for study. It is NOT a prescription recommendation. The actual choice depends on the cause, the patient, and current guidelines.
- Area
- Psychiatry
- Listed causes
- 5
- Treatment options
- 3