All You Need To Know About The Rare Mental Health Condition Called Erotomania

Most of us have experienced loving or liking someone who does not feel the same way about us. This could also be a minor crush where the person we like has no idea we even exist. But hey, there are no judgements here because we all have been through this and that is how life works. But if this crush crosses a line and becomes an obsession, it can be a little too much to handle.

What is Erotomania?

Erotomania is a rare mental health condition in which the affected individual suffers from paranoid delusion. The affected person feels that the other person is totally in love with them. Even though there are clear indications that this isn't a possibility, a person with this condition believes that the other one is completely head over heels in love with them.

This condition starts suddenly and it lasts for awhile. The person affected by this condition tends to believe that typically an older person or a person with higher social status such as a celebrity is in love with them even though there's almost zero to no contact.

The condition is also called De Clerambault¡¯s syndrome, after the French psychiatrist who understood and shared the existence of this disorder in 1921.

Unsplahs/ Mike Baumeister

What are the types of this disorder?

As per the Psychcentral, this disorder is divided into two categories:

Primary erotomania

The primary symptoms of this can include someone without any other mental health conditions. The symptoms last for a long time and there is difficulty responding to the treatment.

Secondary erotomania

When it comes to secondary conditions, there is a prevalence of other mental health conditions over just delusion. In this case, there tends to be a slow and gradual onset of symptoms. Other than that, people may respond to therapy and medications.

Unsplash

What are the symptoms that lead to this disorder?

Some of the symptoms include:

Stalking the person

Stalking involves an unhealthy fixation on the person of interest. This can manifest in both digital and physical forms, such as tracking their online activity on social media or physically following them without their knowledge. Stalkers may engage in surveillance in a bid to know the whereabouts and activities of the person they are fixated on.

Harassing the person

Harassment is the persistent and unwanted intrusion into the life of the person of interest. This can take various forms, including sending numerous gifts, letters, and emails despite clear indications that the recipient is not interested. Harassers may also make incessant phone calls, even after being explicitly told to cease contact. In severe cases, harassment may escalate to public confrontations, potentially requiring law enforcement intervention.

Feeling jealous

Jealousy is a strong and often irrational emotion that can consume the affected person. They may become jealous when the person of interest interacts with others, even platonically, suspecting romantic involvement with anyone else. This jealousy can lead to feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, and irrational suspicions.

Delusional situations

Delusions are false beliefs that the affected person strongly holds despite evidence to the contrary. In this context, the person with this condition may develop delusions about the person of interest, believing that they are sending hidden signals or trying to communicate in covert ways. These delusions often involve misinterpreting innocent actions or conversations as being directed toward them or indicative of romantic interest.

Unsplash

Treatments for this disorder

While there are no certain treatments that can completely cure the disorder, there might be ways in which this can be controlled or can get better:

Psychotherapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT is one practice that can make things better since it helps a person understand their own behaviour and also the reasons why they are doing the things they are. Another medium such as talk therapy can also help with recovering from this disorder.

Medications may help

A research titled 'An Unusual Case of Stalking: The Neurologic Implications of Erotomania in Decompensated Schizophrenia (1152)' denotes how medications can help reduce the symptoms of delusions that occur with this disorder. A medical professional can also add on other medications such as antipsychotics or antidepressants if there is a need for them.

Providing hospitalisation

In extreme cases where the affected person is too deeply caught up in their delusions and if medications and other treatment options such as therapy do not really work then they may need to be hospitalised. This is required since they may harm themselves or others.

Unsplash

It is important to identify what may cause this disorder and what can be done to make things better for the person going through it.