Misidentified Political Figures: An Underappreciated Danger

• NCJ Number: 131263
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1991) Pages: 1170-1178
• Author(s): J A Silva; G B Leong; R Weinstock; M M Ferrari
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Test/Measurement
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Anaheim, CA, February 18-23, 1991

Annotation

A series of 12 patients with misidentification syndromes in which the misidentified person is a prominent political figure are presented.

Abstract

All of these patients were male and suffered from a psychotic disorder. The misidentification syndromes included Capgras, Fregoli, intermetamorphosis, subjective doubles, and reverse subjective doubles. Eight of the 12 had participated in some form of physically violent behavior toward others. One attacked several inmates in jail and five were previously incarcerated for assault. One patient in addition to killing a person, physically attacked other patients in a psychiatric hospital, and another had irrationally fired his gun. However, none of the 12 had harmed or attempted to harm their misidentified political figures. These included Presidents Lincoln through Bush, Vice-President Quayle, Reverend King, Colonel North, Premier Gorbachev, Castro, Queen Elizabeth, and Pope John Paul II. One of the patients had written a threatening letter to the president, and one had verbalized threats toward politicians. Although none of these cases directly perpetrated an attack on the misidentified political figure, the fact that 8 out of 12 of these cases have been associated with a history of physical violence suggests that these individuals could pose a significant danger of physical harm. An evaluation for misidentification syndromes is recommended for persons who threaten political figures. 1 table and 40 references (Author abstract modified)