Ever since Helena discovered that Marcos, CEO of the company she works for and one of her country’s biggest leaders, is madly in love with her, feels in the clouds, doesn’t spend a day without commenting on her peers. The problem is, his teammates don’t agree. When Marcos says “hello,” Helena says she looks at her seductively, though all she does is greet him by looking at his cell phone. Helena even claims she switched phones, perfume to impress her. What she doesn’t know is that the perfume was just a birthday present from her sister. What’s going on? Helena suffers from erotomania.
Erotomania, also known as Clérambault syndrome, is a psychological disorder in which one person is believed to be loved by another who has superior social status or that somehow seems inaccessible.
- This delusional belief is generally evident in women.
- Although there are some isolated cases of manifestation in men.
- The approximate age at which it appears is 30 years or older.
- And above all it affects singles.
How is it possible that people with erotomania don’t realize that this is all a mistake?How can you see that the other is interested in them when there’s really nothing?The answer is simple: they believe that it is real because they are victims of a misinterpretation of reality itself, the fruit of delirium.
“More than pleasure and delirium, I love you for anguish and doubt. -Xavier Villaurrutia-
If we can put ourselves in the shoes of someone who may be suffering from this disorder, maybe we understand it a little better, how many times do we hate someone and end up misinterpreting certain signs, maybe a smile or a nice word was perceived. as a correspondence with our feelings; However, we quickly realize whether we understand correctly or not.
Something similar happens to people who suffer from eroticism, but believe in a love story that never really began; In addition, his delusional idea revolves around an idealized romantic relationship and, in some cases, the person refers to this relationship as a spiritual union with his supposed partner (who remains a victim).
Thus, erotica is gradually constructed from gestures that the other supposedly demonstrates, even if that is not what is really happening: a look, a nod or a smile that are interpreted as symbols of secret love on the part of the person with this disorder.
“Sometimes the object of illusion doesn’t even exist in reality
Despite the rejection or denial that can manifest the so-called loved one, the person in erotomania does not understand why he is completely convinced that that love is real, so in his delusional world he will create any kind of reason that he is able to justify. this rejection, such as the other not being aware of their deep feeling or being shy and having difficulty expressing themselves to others.
As we can see, this type of delirium can be very serious and sometimes persistent, so psychological treatment is needed and in some psychiatric cases, it can even occur not only in isolation, but can be part of other clinical conditions, such as paranoid schizophrenia, severe depression, bipolar disorder or schizoafective disorder.
In addition, the person with this disorder may suffer a severe emotional blow during events such as a marriage or the birth of a child of the person who is supposed to love him. Without a doubt, it is likely that after this first honeymoon, over time, the person with erotica will suffer because he cannot fail to imagine a sentimental relationship with someone who does not really fit.
If you are wondering you should recheck everything mentioned above, as we said, we have probably experienced more than once the situation of thinking that corresponds to us, but this has nothing to do with the delirium of the erotomano. Or Clérambault syndrome.
“My pain is continuous, my failure is obvious and my illusion is constant. -Rapsusklei-
Erotomania, in extreme cases, can even build false realities such as non-existent sex, psychological pregnancies, or obsessive behaviors to control the other person.
So when is it really a disorder? When, despite distance, contempt and rejection, we think we are loved and vice versa. When the other person is completely inaccessible, but we always think he’s in love with us. And especially when a specialist professional diagnoses? Often, a disorder isn’t just about certain symptoms.
If you think you may have this condition, go to a specialist, feel free to ask for help, and try to fix this problem.