Journal Published Online: 01 May 1992
Volume 37, Issue 3

Misidentification of Self and the Riel Phenomenon

CODEN: JFSCAS

Abstract

Misidentification syndromes or phenomena are found in a number of psychiatric situations that may become the subject of forensic science review. One of the most curious is misidentification of self in which the individual perceives himself or herself as another being while able to explain the loss of the original identity. Recognizing these phenomena may be helpful in accurate diagnosis, in considering such conditions as psychosis of whatever type, multiple personality disorder, and other amnesia and fugue states, and in understanding the person's psychopathology. Two cases are presented to illustrate a process that the authors have named the Riel Phenomenon, after the person who was a party to what is often recognized as the most famous case in Canadian history.

Author Information

Perr, IN
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ
Paul Fedoroff, J
The Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Pages: 6
Price: $25.00
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Stock #: JFS11995J
ISSN: 0022-1198
DOI: 10.1520/JFS11995J