The Frequency of Capgras Delusions in a Psychiatric Emergency Service

Abstract

During the 1983 year all patient presentations to the University of Miami Psychiatric Emergency Service (PES) at Jackson Memorial Hospital, a large county hospital, were screened by the author through patient rounds and chart review for the presence of the Capgras delusion (strictly defined). Within 4,200 unduplicated patient presentations, 6 cases were determined to have a Capgras delusion: i.e. 0.14% of all PES unduplicated presentations and 0.17% of all PES psychotic unduplicated presentations. These 6 cases are presented. The majority of these patients presented with the chief complaint of violent behavior towards a significant other and had organic factors as contributors to the psychopathology.