Most people are familiar with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but some conditions are so rare that many psychiatrists won’t come across a single case in their professional lives. Here I present five of the rarest – and strangest – syndromes known to psychiatry.
1. Fregoli syndrome
Fregoli syndrome is where someone believes that different people are in fact the same person who just changes their appearance. People with this syndrome often feel persecuted by those they believe to be in disguise. The disorder is named after Leopoldo Fregoli, an Italian theatre actor who was known for his remarkable ability to quickly change his appearance while on stage.
