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Photo Credit: The poster used in the title graphic can be found at Biblioteca e Raccolta Teatrale del Burcardo.

Leopoldo Fregoli was an Italian quick-change performer of the early 1900's. His world-wide popularity was based upon his amazing ability to change his costume and his personality in a matter of seconds and typically right before the eyes of the audience.

Fregoli Syndrome is a delusion that other people, even strangers, can become people the patient knows. In essence, their bodies can hold the minds of loved ones or enemies. A misidentification syndrome, Fregoli Syndrome has also been associated with neurologic findings (like her sister syndromes: Cotard and Capgras).

Fregoli Syndrome Links:

For all PubMed articles on Fregoli Syndrome, click Here.

Selected Medline Abstracts on Fregoli Syndrome

Title: A case of "subjective" Fr�goli syndrome.
Author: Silva JA; Leong GB
Address: Department of Psychiatry, University of California.
Source: J Psychiatry Neurosci, 1991 Jul, 16:2, 103-5
Abstract: In the classic type of Fr�goli syndrome, the affected person believes that another person's mind can inhibit the body of another person. We present an unusual presentation of Fr�goli syndrome in which a patient believed that copies of his own mind inhabited the bodies of others. Given that the misidentification syndrome called subjective doubles involves the delusional belief that one's own physical double exists, by analogy this patient suffered from "subjective" Fr�goli syndrome.
Language of Publication: English

Title: Psychiatric, neurological and medical aspects of misidentification syndromes: a review of 260 cases.
Author: F�rstl H; Almeida OP; Owen AM; Burns A; Howard R
Address: Section of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London.
Source: Psychol Med, 1991 Nov, 21:4, 905-10
Abstract: Two hundred and sixty case reports of misidentification syndromes were evaluated. One hundred and seventy-four patients had a Capgras syndrome misidentifying other persons, 18 a Fregoli syndrome, 11 intermetamorphosis, 17 reduplicative paramnesia and the rest had other forms or combinations of mistaken identification. Schizophrenia (127 cases), mostly of paranoid type, affective disorder (29), and organic mental syndromes including dementia (46) were the most common diagnoses in patients who misidentified others or themselves. The patients with reduplicative paramnesia more frequently suffered from head trauma or cerebral infarction and showed more features of right hemisphere lesions on neuropsychological testing or CT scan than the patients with other misidentification syndromes. Forty-one case-reports implicated underlying medical conditions. Forty-six of the patients were reported to show violent behaviour. The misidentification of persons can be a manifestation of any organic or functional psychosis, but the misidentification of place is frequently associated with neurological diseases, predominantly of the right hemisphere. Misidentification syndromes show a great degree of overlap and do not represent distinctive syndromes nor can they be regarded as an expression of a particular disorder. These patients deserve special diagnostic and therapeutic attention because of the possible underlying disorders and their potentially dangerous behaviour.
Language of Publication: English
Title: Accounting for delusional misidentifications.
Author: Ellis HD; Young AW
Address: School of Psychology, University of Wales College of Cardiff.
Source: Br J Psychiatry, 1990 Aug, 157:, 239-48
Abstract: Accounts of the major DMSs are given using theoretical models of the functional components underlying recognition of familiar people. Thus, Capgras' syndrome is suggested to involve impairment of processes that can support 'covert' recognition of familiar faces in prosopagnosia. It therefore forms a potential 'mirror image' of the impairments underlying prosopagnosia, and earlier attempts to link the two conditions directly are questioned. Fr�goli syndrome and intermetamorphosis are explained as defects at different stages of an information-processing chain. Not only are these accounts consistent with the association of different DMSs with different brain injuries, but they also offer both suggestions for new inquiries and predictions about possible preserved and impaired abilities.
Language of Publication: English
Title: Fregoli syndrome.
Author: Mojtabai R
Address: Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Source: Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 1994 Sep, 28:3, 458-62
Abstract: Fregoli syndrome is the delusional belief that one or more familiar persons, usually persecutors following the patient, repeatedly change their appearance. This syndrome has often been discussed as a variant of the Capgras syndrome in the literature, but these two syndromes have different phenomenological structures and age and sex distributions. The author presents a review of 34 cases of Fregoli syndrome in the English and French language literature, discussing the syndrome's definition, aetiology and course. It is suggested that although an organic substrate may be found in some cases, it is the dominant psychotic theme which determines the content of the syndrome.
Language of Publication: English

Title: Delusional misidentification syndromes: a descriptive study.
Author: Oyebode F; Sargeant R
Address: Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
Source: Psychopathology, 1996, 29:4, 209-14
Abstract: Twenty-three patients with one or more delusional misidentification syndromes were studied. The majority of the subjects were females and the Capgras syndrome was the most common delusional misidentification syndrome in our sample. The Capgras syndrome cases were significant older than the Fregoli syndrome cases. Schizophrenia and schizo-affective psychosis were significantly associated with Fregoli syndrome. Discriminant function analysis was carried out on the sample and showed that age and symptoms of nuclear schizophrenia were the variables most predictive of the type of delusional misidentification. These findings are discussed in the light of current literature.
Language of Publication: English


Title: Anterior cortical atrophy in Fregoli syndrome.
Author: Joseph AB; OLeary DH
Address: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston 02115.
Source: J Clin Psychiatry, 1987 Oct, 48:10, 409-11
Abstract: The computed tomography scans of 10 patients with Fregoli syndrome and 10 matched controls were blindly assessed. Patients with Fregoli syndrome showed more frontal and temporal lobe atrophy than controls. Fregoli syndrome may be associated with dysfunction of these areas.
Language of Publication: English
Title: [One possible classification of the delusional misidentification syndromes and its developmental, regressive understandings]
Author: Nishida H; Shinbo Y; Kuramitsu M; Motomura H
Address: Kuramitsu Clinic, Health Institution for the Old Harukaze.
Source: Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi, 1996, 98:8, 533-54
Abstract: In recent years, misidentification syndromes have attracted much attention, and various types of these syndromes have been recognized. However, misidentification syndromes tend to be discussed as case reports or as a whole, and yet there is no established classification. This is primarily due to a small number of cases encountered by each researcher. We propose a new classification of misidentification syndrome based on more than 70 patients with these syndromes, who have been treated at one psychiatric hospital during 20 years. First, delusional misidentification syndromes were classified into two types: misidentification of human relationships represented by descent delusion (relational misidentification), and misidentification of identity itself represented by Capgras symptom and Fregoli symptom (identical misidentification). Next, identical misidentification was subclassified into 3 types: division of identity (divided type), union of identity (unionized type), and transformation of identity (transformed type). Various misidentification syndromes and associated signs and symptoms were evaluated in detail from the aspect of descriptive psychiatry and were compared with our new classification. In addition, this typological study on misidentification was analyzed based on the regressive theory and Jacksonism, and we proposed a hypothesis that there is correspondence between misidentification syndromes and the development of person identification in infants.
Language of Publication: Japanese
Title: Capgras' syndrome: the delusion of substitution.
Author: Signer SF
Address
Source: J Clin Psychiatry, 1987 Apr, 48:4, 147-50
Abstract: The English and French literature on Capgras' syndrome yielded 315 patients, 212 of whom provided the basis for review. Forty-six percent presented with an affective disturbance. Seven variant forms of a unified delusion of substitution are described: Capgras; subjective doubles, Capgras type; Fregoli; intermetamorphosis; subjective doubles, autoscopic type; "reverse" subjective doubles; and "reverse" Fregoli. Classes of single and multiple forms of the delusion with either functional or organic etiology were compared. Multiple form classes had a greater diversity of variant forms.
Language of Publication: English
Title: Coexistence of Capgras and its related syndromes in a single patient.
Author: Atwal S; Khan MH
Address
Source: Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 1986 Dec, 20:4, 496-8
Abstract: A very unusual case of Capgras syndrome is described. It is unique because of the coexistence of three related syndromes, namely the syndrome of Fregoli, the syndrome of intermetamorphosis, and the syndrome of subjective doubles, in the same patient during the course of his illness. A brief description of these colourful syndromes is given and we speculate upon the possible role of psychodynamic and organic factors in the patho-physiology of these intriguing syndromes.
Language of Publication: English

Disclaimer: The author of this web site is not a medical doctor. The material in this site is provided for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for a health care provider's consultation. Please consult your own physician or appropriate health care provider about the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your own symptoms or medical treatment.

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For all PubMed articles on Fregoli Syndrome, click Here.

Please send questions, comments, & suggestions to: Gary J. Heffner.