‘Baby Reindeer’ premiered in April on Netflix, raising discussions about stalking and psychiatric disorders. Based on a true story, the series features Martha (Jessica Gunning), a lawyer who falls madly in love with a bartender, Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd), after an act of kindness. What could be just a crush, however, ends up becoming an intense and unhealthy process of persecution.
There were 41,071 e-mails, 350 hours of voice messages, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages and 106 letters sent by the woman to the aspiring comedian, who because she does not reciprocate the love feeling, ends up triggering violent attitudes on the part of Martha.
See also: What is real and what is fiction in Baby Rena, Netflix’s new darling
With the success of the series, experts discuss the possibility of manifestation of a type of psychological syndrome rare in the character’s behavior: the so-called “Erotomania” or “Clérambault Syndrome”.
“Erotomania is a delusional psychiatric syndrome characterized by an unrealistic fixation, which can represent a real danger to the person who is the object of this desire,” explains psychologist Alexander Bez. “It is a severe mental disorder in which the individual firmly believes that he or she is being loved by another person, interpreting simple actions as expressions of love,” he adds.
Usually, patients with this condition have their loved one—usually a public figure, celebrity, or someone with high social status— as the target of this delusional fantasy. “The erotomaniac believes that his suitor is always giving signs, even when they don’t even know each other,” adds psychoanalyst Andréa Ladislau.
Erotomania can be categorized into two levels:
Primary Level: Characterized by pure Clérambault Syndrome, it is a specific subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder with a strong delusional component. At this stage, there are no other associated psychiatric conditions, making treatment especially challenging and with limited therapeutic responses.
Secondary Level: In addition to Erotomania disorder, other mental conditions and comorbidities that complicate the clinical picture may be present. However, the response to treatments, including medication and psychotherapy, tends to be more favorable than at the primary level, often requiring a combination of therapeutic approaches.
How to identify
“Symptoms and signs vary in intensity from patient to patient, but include obsessive, aggressive, and even dangerous behaviors, especially for those who confront or try to prevent the person with the disorder from approaching the chosen victim,” says Bez. These behaviors may include: stalking through the internet and social networks, belief in telepathic communication, or the act of guarding objects related to the victim.
The incidence of this disorder is poorly known, but there are studies that indicate that it can affect 0.3% of the population. “Its causes can vary according to the psychogenetic predisposition of each person, according to a series of factors, such as: head trauma; childhood abuse; schizophrenia; neglect in childhood or psychiatric illnesses,” says Ladislau.
The diagnosis of erotomania involves detailed psychiatric evaluation, including clinical interviews and sometimes evaluations of family and friends to ascertain the severity of symptoms. Treatment includes psychotherapy, the use of antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anxiolytics, as well as other approaches to work on the associated symptoms.
Want to stay on top of the day’s top news? Click here and join our WhatsApp channel
