A new variant of "subjective" delusional misidentification associated with aggression

Delusional misidentification syndromes are psychotic conditions in which the affected individual experiences delusions of radical change concerning the identity of others and/or of the self. These syndromes may lead to aggression, including serious violence toward others. In this article, we describe and analyze in detail an aggressive individual who suffered from a delusion that physical and psychological replicas of himself existed. We specifically analyze the link between the patient's subjective misidentification delusion and his resulting aggression. Both the roles of phenomenology and biology of delusional misidentification are evaluated as potential contributors of aggression.