Delusions in psychiatric illness are common forms of false beliefs that can be easily developed in clients or patients either in a mild or severe form. One of the rare conditions of delusion is erotomania where the individual tends to fixate on the idea that someone is in love with them despite clear evidence to the contrary. In this mental condition, the sufferer is extremely rigid in their thoughts and refuses to listen to others. Along with a stubborn attitude they also tend to be emotional as well as restless. They also believe that the person who they think is in love with them is attempting to send them secret messages through telepathy.
There are a few associated behaviors and symptoms related to this condition which include the following:
1). Obsessively as well as constantly thinking about the concerned person that hampers their functionality.
2). Constantly sending emails, texts and gifts to the person along with persistently calling them.
3). Easily being convinced that the other person is trying to secretly send messages through glances, gestures and coded messages.
4). Fabricating false scenarios where another person is pursuing them.
5). Experiencing jealousy when thinking about that person is with someone else. They may also doubt the person’s loyalty towards them.
6). Harassing the person by stalking them or being violent in public.
7). Losing interest in fulfilling other roles and duties other than talking about the person all the time.
There are instances when erotomania is caused in the absence of a psychotic episode. Sometimes this mental health condition takes place for a shorter period of time and is brought on by several social and environmental precipitating factors such as:
1). Social isolation: As man is a social creature, it is essential that he has grown as an individual by actively engaging in the community. Staying aloof is one of the common negative symptoms of psychotic illness. Isolation can also cause the patients to lack development in their interpersonal skills where understanding of others’ thoughts and emotions are expanded. Thus, they face difficulty in interpreting social cues.
2). Feeling of rejection: There is an intense negative emotional reaction to being rejected and it severely arises the need for affiliation from others. This acts as a trigger in conditions like erotomania where it can also lead to impulsiveness and aggressiveness. This can also be seen in individuals who lack acceptance of unrequited love.
3). Stress: The majority of disorders and mental health issues triggered due to a major stressor in one’s life. Losing a loved one or watching a separation in a family can sometimes unconsciously push the subject to compensate for the attachment through someone else. They attempt to fill a gap or achieve a sense of security by relying on the love of someone else.
4). Use of social media: Social media can act as a precipitating factor as there is a lack of barriers in social media and the person can easily observe, contact and stalk the other person. Due to prolonged acts like this, they develop obsessiveness towards the person and lose interest in any other functions. This platform is one of the reasons why they experience jealousy when they observe their object of love with someone else and also can act violently.
5) Early childhood: An unsatisfactory relationship of the patients with their parents can also play a significant role where they attempt to find that satisfaction through a different relationship. There are also cases where a very close and dependent relationship with parents can also act as an influence where patients develop dependent personality patterns and cannot bear the thought of being without the love object.
The treatment of a condition like erotomania requires help from both medicines as well as psychotherapy. The sufferer’s thought patterns are a focus of most therapeutic sessions where the primary aim is to help them with their rigid beliefs and cognitive distortions. Here, the thoughts are identified and biases are gradually corrected. Another focus to dealing with erotomaniacs is to increase social relationships where there is a chance for the patient to interact with other beings giving them an opportunity to connect with others in a healthy and appropriate manner. Underlying factors which led to the development of false belief also needs to be explored. Apart from this, social skills training is also suggested for such cases where their functionality in different areas is fostered. Complete avoidance of the love object through aversion therapy can also help decrease obsessive thinking. Lastly, restoring the self-esteem of the patient is also crucial to the treatment plan.
Overall, it can be said that the erratic and bizarre behavior of people with erotomania can even take place in individuals without an underlying psychological disorder. The commonly unrecognized signs and symptoms shown by such individuals include extreme stubbornness in not moving on from an unsuccessful relationship, fixating on unrequited love without realizing the rejection, stalking a person, showing psychological violent responses towards the object of love and the non-acceptance of the fact they are not loved by the other person. Hence, it is extremely necessary that instead of labelling people, enough focus should be paid to the treatment options for improvement in their inappropriate behaviors.
– Urveez Kakalia & Debanjana Banerjee.