An Innovative Non-Pharmacologic Treatment for Delusional Misidentification in Persons with Major Neurocognitive Disorder

Dela J Public Health. 2021 Sep 27;7(4):32-36. doi: 10.32481/djph.2021.09.007. eCollection 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Misidentification delusions are false, fixed beliefs that assign an incorrect identity to a previously familiar or unfamiliar person or place. Such delusions are common in several neuropsychiatric disorders and place a particular burden on individuals with Major Neurocognitive Disorder and their caregivers. No standard pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic treatment approaches have been shown to be consistently effective in addressing this problem. We describe two caregiver-care recipient dyads in which an innovative non-pharmacologic, digital intervention reduced delusional misidentification, improved care recipient behavior, and decreased caregiver burden.