Mirrored-self misidentification

Mirrored-self misidentification is the delusional belief that the reflection seen in a mirror is a different person, often a younger or second version of the patient, a stranger or a relative. It is most often reported in people with dementia, and affected patients keep the ability to recognise other people in mirrors. The delusion is attributed to dysfunction of the right hemisphere of the brain resulting from traumatic brain injury, stroke or general neurological illness. It is a monothematic delusion, one in which all the abnormal beliefs share a single theme, in contrast with polythematic delusions that span many unrelated beliefs. It is also counted among the delusional misidentification syndromes, in which a patient consistently misidentifies places, objects, persons or events, is unaware of the problem and resists correction.