Authors affiliations: *School of Psychology, Allameh Tabatabaei University, **Department of Radiology, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
·Corresponding author and reprints: Ali-Reza Moghaddas, MD, School of Psychology, Allame Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran. P.O. Box: 13185-611, Fax: +98-21-5415200,
Lycanthropy, by definition, is a belief of delusion in which patient considers himself or ors as a wolf or some or animals. Knowledge of lycanthropy dates back to about two thousand years ago, and several sources have made references to this phenomenon. A young and single male, stuttering since age 12, recently developed lycanthropic syndrome; he had symptoms of depression since adolescence. He was given psychiatric management and was treated with 12 mg of perphenazine per day as antipsychotic drug and 20 mg of fluoxetine per day as antidepressant. Within two years, symptoms of lycanthropy gradually disappeared and patient recovered from depression to a large extent.
Archives of Iranian Medicine, Volume 7, Number 2, 2004: 130 – 132.
Keywords · delusional depression · lycanthropy · major depression · stuttering
ycanthropy is defined as a certain delusion in which patient supposes himself or ors to have turned into a wolf or some or animals. It is generally thought of as being a kind of delusion of metamorphosis.1 Nowadays, even rarer cases of lycanthropy are reported compared to past.2 delusion is usually associated with a firm belief that it originates from devil’s will or that patient is possessed by devil.3
People of different cultures believed long ago that human being is able to turn himself into animals and that animal-like humans really exist. Perhaps first citation of lycanthropy has been made in Bible, and reference has also been made to it in book of Daniel.4
Lycanthropy has been discussed in several texts such as writings of Paulus Aegineta, Greek scholar of 7th century.5 In Greek mythology Zeus is said to have turned Lycaon into a werewolf.6
Moreover, in many myths re seems to be a connection between full moon and time of human transformation into wolves.5
studies of Karl Jaspers, of analysis of lycanthropy in 1959, established basis for psychopathologic investigations into this syndrome.1 A number of psychoanalysts consider lycanthropy as being instinctive representation of id toger with a splitting mechanism at animal level for elimination of a feeling of guilt.1 Some or authors believe it to be a kind of delusion.1
Karl G. Jung held that sensitivity of children towards conflicts of ir parents’ unconscious could cause this syndrome. 1
To some, lycanthropy is categorized first as being a delusion and n as a sort of depersonalization.5 Certain specialists believe intricate lycanthropic symptoms to be beginning of appearance of deranged sexual conflicts,7 and maintain that internal fears of an individual surpasses his adjustment mechanisms; such fears will n emerge as lycanthropic symptoms that threaten or people.7 delusion of transformation into animals has been observed everywhere round world, but mostly in nonindustrial societies.5 type of animal patient might turn into depends on a number of factors such as abundance and fear of that animal.3
Hence, patients from different cultures mention various animals; for instance, in South-East Asia, tigers and crocodiles are more common and in Europe, wolf is most-talked-about animal in this respect.5
It is worth noting that several lycanthropic patients are reported to have been bitten by a dog or a wolf or vaccinated against rabies.6 This in turn could suggest that lycanthropy might be unusual and nonexclusive representation of rabies.8
Considering legendary belief that perhaps re is a relation between full moon and appearance of animal-like humans, some studies have been carried out on possible relation between blood level of certain neurotransmitters and time of full moon.9
Noneless, lycanthropy is not by itself a distinct disease but rar represents a range of psychiatric diseases.1 Generally speaking, period of development of lycanthropic symptoms varies for different patients, but in most cases se symptoms are temporary and transient. Reportedly, longest period of its persistence in a patient has been over 15 years.10
patient was a 20-year-old male laborer from a low socioeconomic class with HX of stuttering since age 12. He lived in a village Kazeroon suburbs, and was referred with complaint of a feeling of turning into a wolf for about two months. At same time, he had felt possessing much more strength and power. Moving with tremor, he had had tendency to attack ors and devour m.
Sometimes, he also felt like animals, walking on his four legs. Such delusions ordinarily surfaced in mornings, at nights, and during times of loneliness and fear, and continued for one to three hours. Once it was over, patient found himself confused, anxious, and frightened with some headache and a feeling of light-headedness.
Furrmore, he occasionally felt that people around him had also transformed into wolves and leopards and were about to attack him. In such conditions, patient escaped and held himself captive.
Likewise, re were transient auditory, tactile, and olfactory hallucinations such as hearing vague sounds, insects creeping on body, and smelling unpleasant odors.
Hallucinations upon falling asleep and waking up (hypnogogic and hypnopompic) and such misinterpretations as having a vision of a ghost occurred in same period. patient had slight symptoms of depression since adolescence. With emergence of feeling of turning into a wolf, such symptoms had aggravated him for past two months. patient had a poor adjustment in school and in society. He was born to a family of farmers and grew-up in a religious, harsh, and stern atmosphere.
Furr diagnostic studies
results of physical and neurological examinations showed no signs of epilepsy or drug dependency, and paraclinical tests including blood test, brain CT scan, MRI, EEG, and neuropsychological testing except IQ testing were all normal. patient had scored a borderline grade on his IQ tests. After a number of interviews and completion of history provided by his relatives, and based on criteria of diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, DSM IV-TR, he was finally diagnosed as a definite case of delusional depression. Considering good support provided by his family, patient was treated on an out-patient basis. He was treated with 12 mg of perphenazine per day as antipsychotic drug and 20 mg of fluoxetine per day as antidepressant. During a two-year study, and despite patient’s lack of compliance, symptoms of lycanthropy and depression declined significantly.
Lycanthropy is more prevalent in a nonindustrial and rural community,5 where patient was born and was already living. Lycanthropy can not be considered as a diagnostically distinct disease; it is rar a set of symptoms that toger with ors result in various differential diagnoses.1
Considering earlier symptoms of depression in patient and phenomenon of lycanthropy, which emerged later, patient was diagnosed as delusional depression. Development of lycanthropy and transitory hallucinations in patient, on whole, put forward diagnosis of delusional depression on basis of which proper treatment was given. patient’s determination to seek treatment for about two years, his response to treatment, lack of any observable decline in his social and cognitive skills, inconsistency of his hallucinations, as well as a relative improvement of his psychotic symptoms, fully support primary diagnosis. Contrary to a number of similarly reported cases, patient did not have any history of animal bites, vaccination against rabies,6 and a connection between full moon and emergence of symptoms of disease.5 patient’s preoccupation with sexual matters, walking like four-legged animals, and attacking ors were consistant with earlier work.7
Feeling of inefficiency and shyness are quite common in such patients,6 as was case in our patient; like previously reported cases, symptoms of lycanthropy were transitory and ephemeral.
previous reports do not refer to any link between disease and stuttering. However, stuttering was cause of stress in this case and played a significant role in development of depression in patient and his withdrawal from school.
According to Keck et al11 delusion may or
may not be under patient’s control. In this case, patient proved to
have appropriate control over his delusions to a large extent. In some
studies it has been argued that lycanthropy syndrome could not affect
prognosis of previously dominant disease11 as was case in present report. symptoms of lycanthropy observably decreased within a
two-year period, but signs of major depression, being primary disease
though less severe, still persist. Finally, Garlipp et al12 who
reported three cases of lycanthropy are of belief that studies on this
phenomenon have been consigned to oblivion. y maintain that perhaps
phenomenon of lycanthropy is a pathognomonic symptom for a specific illness,
which requires furr psychopathological and psychiatric investigation.
I wish to express my gratitude to Hooyar Moghaddas.
1 Koehler K, Ebel H, Vartzopoulos D. Lycanthropy and demonomania: some psychopathological issues. Psychol Med. 1990; 20: 629 – 33.
2 Poorafkari N. Comprehensive Dictionary of Psychology and Psychiatry. Tehran: Farhang Moaser; 1997.
3 Moselhy HF. Lycanthropy: new evidence of its origins. Psychopathology. 1999; 32: 173 – 6.
4 Rosenstock AH, Vincent KR. A case of lycanthropy. Am J Psychiatry. 1977; 134: 1174 – 9.
5 Coll PG, O’Sullivan GO, Brown PJ. Lycanthropy lives on. Br J Psychiatry. 1985; 147: 201– 2.
6 Raok K, Gangadhar BN, Janakiramiah N. Lycanthropy in depression: two case reports. Psychopathology. 1999; 32: 169 – 72.
7 Freedman AF, Kaplan HI, Sadock BJ. Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. 2nd ed. Vol 2. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins; 1975: 13, 995, 1727.
8 Gomez-Alonso J. Werewolf legend: anor consequence of rabies? Am Acad Neurol. 1999; 52: 73.
9 Davis WM, Wellwuff HG, Garew L, Kydd OU. Psychopharmacology of lycanthropy. CMAJ. 1992; 146: 1191 – 7.
10 Kulick AR, Pope HG, Keck PE. Lycanthropy and self-identification. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1990; 178: 134 – 7.
11 Keck PE, Pope HG, Hudson JI, McElroy SL, Kuilick AR. Lycanthropy: alive and well in twentieth century. Psychol Med. 1988; 18: 113 – 20.
12 Garlipp P, Godeck-Koch T, Haltenhof H, Dietrich DE. Lycanthropy, zooanthropism, and discussion of a psychopathological phenomenon [in German]. Fortschr Neural Psychiatry. 2001; 69: 215 – 20.
AIM Home | Table of Contents