Emily Chan
Erotomania is a rare mental health condition where someone believes that another person is in love with them.
The other person is often inaccessible, famous, wealthy, or of high status. It’s kind of like having a crush but taken much further.
This delusion is also known as De Clérembault’s syndrome, after the French psychiatrist who first described it as a disorder in 1921.
A sufferer of erotomania is convinced the imaginary romance is real, even though there is no clear evidence to support the other person’s love for them.
In most cases, the sufferer has never met or made contact with the object of their affection. They may believe the person they’re fixated on is sending them secret messages, whether through the news or telepathy.
Erotomania can start suddenly and persist for a while. The condition is rare and typically affects women more than men. It can be associated with other mental health disorders that involve delusions or manic behaviors.
Symptoms
Erotomania is characterized by an individual’s false belief that someone is deeply in love with them. Yet, the other person may not even be aware of their existence.
A person with erotomania might talk about the other person constantly and may even be obsessed with trying to communicate with them.
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