[Schroeder van der Kolk and Capgras's delusion].

BACKGROUND

About one hundred years prior to Capgras' description of the eponymous misidentification psychosis, this clinical picture had already been described by Schroeder van der Kolk. To this day, this publication has received unjustly little attention.

AIM: To highlight Schroeder van der Kolk's case report and to bridge past and present, with emphasis on psychiatric care.

METHOD: Analysis of the original case history alongside Capgras' three publications and presentation of a modernized adaptation.

RESULTS

The pathogenetic factors emphasized by Capgras - alienation, heightened affective tension, paranoid hypervigilance, and unconscious Oedipal conflicts - are also discernible in the patient described by Schroeder van der Kolk. His treatment strategy probably shows more similarities with contemporary psychiatric practice than might be expected.

CONCLUSION

The original case report can serve as a source of inspiration for the refinement of clinical intuition, functioning as a paper-based consultation.