This 24-year- old woman was suffering from Capgras Syndrome*, depressive psychosis, paranoid thoughts, adjustment disorder, encephalitis, dysthymia Axis Ii) cluster with traits++
She said “I am in 7th std.! I am just 12 years old!” She has fluctuation of memory, memory wanders in past and present. She said ‘’People are laughing at me. I hear noises of my parents fighting but it disappears when I open my eyes. I feel jerks in body. “
“I do not recognize my brother and sister as they look different now! Their voices changed! All say to me that my siblings are grown up but this is false, this is not reality, they are liars; I am still in 7 std!”
Suddenly she started crying and said ‘Dr. sometimes I feel happy and another time I am sad. I am all alone in this world; my family is no more now. everybody is changed! I think I am going to be mad soon.”
She used to lie down in bed shutting her eyes so that she could relax in her beautiful imaginary world. She complained about her neighbor laughing at her.
Past H/O-
Frequent attacks of fever, typhoid, menorrhagia, and acrid greenish, copious discharge from 2007 to 2011.
Family H/O-
No major illness.
Father was alcohol addict, used to be violent at home with wife and children.
Journey of disease-
2004-she is diagnosed having adjustment disorder, dysthymia (axis ii) cluster with traits++
2005-EEG performed, which was normal.
2013-Psychometry report confirmed depression
2013-Finally, her neurophysician and psychiatrist, 9 years after commencement of treatment, diagnosed the case as Capgras syndrome, depressive psychosis, and paranoid thoughts.
For all above mixed symptoms, she took psychiatric treatment since July 2012 to December 2014. Her psychiatrist prescribed the same medication without changing the prescription and without meeting the patient.
Capgras syndrome is a disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, or other close family member (or pet) has been replaced by an identical looking impostor. Patients hold the belief that time has been “warped” or “substituted.”
Depressive Psychosis
This condition causes one to experience psychotic symptoms plus the sadness and hopelessness associated with depression. This means seeing, hearing, smelling, or believing things that are not real. It is especially dangerous because the delusions can cause people to become suicidal.
Paranoid thoughts
The fear of something bad happening. The idea that others may intend to cause some harm. Typically the fear is of physical, psychological, social or financial harm.
For all the above symptoms, she was consuming 14 tablets/day from April 2005-Dec 2014. These six disorders not only affected her mental level but disturbed her at the physical level.
Analysis-
For me, it was a case of dissociative disorder with depersonalization.
Dissociative disorders are thought to primarily be caused by psychological trauma. There is loss of contact with their own personal reality accompanied by feelings of unreality and strangeness. Depersonalization is an emotional condition that involve disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity, or perception.
Rubrics considered-
Mind-confusion of mind- time; as to-space and
Mind-cheerful alternating with sadness
Mind-delusion identity, someone else she is
Mind-delusion- strange, familiar things sees strange
Mind-forsaken feeling
Mind- insane, become insane one will
Mind-delusion laughed and mocked at being
Mind-delusion noise, hearing noise
Mind-unreal everything seems
Mind-Depersonalization
Female genitalia/sex menses-protracted
Generals-anaemia-menorrhagia from
Generals-jerking internally.
In repertorization Calcarea carb, Cannabis indica, Cicuta virosa, Lachesis, Nux mos and Sepia came up.
Differentiation between remedies-
Cicuta is the only remedy for confusion of mind-past and present. It also covers delusion he is a child again and acts like a child, feels like a child. But she was not dancing or moaning like a child and no convulsions were there.
Cicuta has delirium, with singing, dancing, and funny gestures which I didn’t observe in this patient. Calcarea Carb and Sepia did not cover the entering keynote symptom i.e. confusion of mind as to space and time.
Lachesis is very much aware about reality and there is no delusion about hearing noises and becoming insane. Nux mos feels that she is two persons, real self seems to be watching other self like we see in Anacardium. There is delusion having two heads.
Prescription
January 2015– Cannabis indica 200 CH/ 7 glass method/7 succussions/ 7 drops/7 days with placebo for 45 days..
Why Cannabis indica?
Cannabis thinks everything is unreal. When he speaks, it seems as though someone else is speaking. Fear of insanity, of approaching, darkness. Loss of conception of time, space, place, distance, size. Confusion, concentration difficult.
Delusions, paranoia, hallucinations. Lack of sense of identity, a connection to himself and others. Panic attacks. Anxious about health and losing control, fear of insanity. All sensations, perceptions and conceptions being exaggerated to the utmost degree. Distortion of time and space, disorientation.
The exhilaration and activity sometimes giving place to sadness, depression, and weakness. Constant fear of becoming insane. Inability to recall any thought or event, on account of different thoughts crowding on his brain. Very absent-minded. Fixed ideas. Every few minutes he would lose himself. Shuts her eyes and is lost in delicious thought. Very profuse menstruation. All the time a dual consciousness is present. It covers complex miasm.
Follow up/progress
March 2015– Patient felt emotional strength, memory a little stable. Delusion reduced. Fever for 8 days soon after medicine. Cannabis indica 200 CH/ 7 glass method/7 succussions/ 7 drops/7 days with placebo for 45 days.
May 2015- Mental stability increased. Leucorrhoea. Menses regular.
Cannabis Indica 1M/ 7 cup method/ 7 succussion/ 7 drops once only; followed by in placebo for 45 days.
August 2015- Patient was much better +++
Syphillinum 200 CH one dose with placebo given. I thought to put up a nosode to boost up the recovery. Why Syphillinum? When a patient is slow re-establishing himself, a single dose of Syphilinum will bring back his appetite, strength, sleep and former weight – Dr. J.T. Kent.
October 2015-No jerking; emotionally stable. Fluctuation in memory is reduced significantly. Placebo given.
December 2015-Irritability and headache. Dissatisfaction. Itching in genital organ. Cannabis Indica 1M/ 7 cup method/ 7 succussion/ 7 drops once only.
February 2016-
Energetic. Optimistic. Memory stable. Slight coryza with fever. Placebo given.
April 2016- Progress +++; confidence improved. Can travel alone. Anxiety about exam caused headache with burning in body. Cannabis indica 1M one dose in same manner.
June 2016
Tuberculinum 200 was used as an intercurrent to cover syphilitic background as well psoric evolution.
December 2016
Much better; memory stable; confidence improved. Placebo given.
Summary
The homeopathic treatment broke her delusion and helped her in accepting reality. Fluctuation in memory is finished. Patient is independent; happy when appointed as Sanitary Inspector/Govt. job. Homeopathy transformed her life!
The well selected homeopathic remedy and the associated reduction of conventional medication with the aim of minimising side effects altogether can improve and accelerate patient’s recovery.
A case with six diagnoses finally cured with unique homeopathy!
*Capgras syndrome, or delusion of doubles, a delusional misidentification syndrome. [1] It is a syndrome characterized by a false belief of identical doubles of someone significant to the patient.
