Subjective doubles syndrome is a type of delusional misidentification syndrome characterized by a person’s belief in the presence of a biologically unrelated look-alike or a double of the living person, usually referred to as doppelgänger.
Such syndrome can also be referred to as doubles of self, the delusion of subjective doubles, or subjective doubles.
Individuals with the subjective double syndrome experience the delusion of having a double or doppelgänger, usually with a similar appearance but may possess different character traits. This syndrome is often found to co-exists with other types of delusional misidentification syndrome such as Capgras syndrome or other psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or may also be related to substance dependence.
Though the symptoms of subjective doubles syndrome are not properly explained, some of the defining features of the delusion are (Kamanitz et al., 1989):
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The presence of the delusion, by definition, is certifiably not a generally acknowledged cultural belief.
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Even though contradictory evidence is presented, the person still believes that the double they are experiencing is real.
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Paranoia or impairment in spatial visualization ability is present.
Moreover, several forms of the syndrome have been reported in the medical literature, such as:
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The person may experience doubles at different ages of oneself (Ahuja, 2003).
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The individual may experience their double as both physically and psychologically identical copy, not just a purely physical copy (Schoenberg & Mike, 2011).
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The person may believe that their self has been transformed into another person (Cowen, 2012).
Because of its rarity, several hypotheses have been stated to understand the causes of subjective doubles syndrome. Some researchers believe that such delusion occurs due to comorbid psychiatric illnesses rather than their own. In contrast, others believe that the damage in the right hemisphere of the brain causes such syndrome (Schoenberg & Mike, 2011). A generally acknowledged treatment for subjective doubles syndrome has not been developed; however, a therapist may prescribe some antipsychotic drugs depending upon the comorbid mental illnesses. Along with the medications, interpersonal psychotherapy and counseling can be provided by the therapist to the client to reduce the difficulties faced by the person.
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About the Author.
Apoorv Aggarwal is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about him by clicking here
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Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.