Erotomania is a form of delusional disorder in which an individual believes that another person, usually of higher status, is in love with him. It is a relatively rare condition, and while the incidence is unknown, the lifetime prevalence of delusional disorder is 0.2% [1]. Consequently, many psychiatrists do not encounter or may fail to recognize erotomania in their clinical practice. Although many theories exist for the etiology of delusional disorder, recent postulations have suggested that social media networks may play a role in enmeshing technology into the delusional systems of those predisposed to psychosis [2]. Social media networks are now ubiquitous aspects of modern society, and this implication cannot be overlooked. We present the case of a 24-year-old male with delusions of multiple women being romantically interested in him. He then engaged in stalking behavior via social media. Although social media has been linked to schizophrenia exacerbations, this appears to be the first identified case of exacerbated delusional disorder [2].
Mr. L is a 24-year-old male with no past family or personal psychiatric history who was brought to the emergency department by police for a psychiatric evaluation. The patient was discovered trespassing on local college property despite having been issued a No Contact Order following multiple complaints to the police and college administration by a female student. The student reported that he had been stalking her via Twitter and looking for her on the college campus. To substantiate her claims, she printed out a multitude of messages he sent her and gave these to the police and college administration. He proceeded to contact her several additional times, each time changing his Twitter username. He had been a student at the college; however, he was placed on suspension and ordered to remain off of campus property due to this behavior. more
