Clinical picture and treatment implication in a child with Capgras syndrome: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Capgras syndrome is a delusional misidentification syndrome characterized by the patient’s belief that his or her relatives have been replaced by impostors. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we describe the clinical picture and the therapeutic approach to an 11-year-old Caucasian girl with Capgras syndrome. A complete psychopathological assessment was conducted during the acute phase, at one month, two months and six months since diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Subsequent follow-up evaluations in this patient allowed us to detect improvements in the psychotic symptoms following treatment with risperidone and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, suggesting that this combined therapy may significantly improve the clinical outcome in patients who have Capgras syndrome.