LYCANTHROPY IN DEPRESSION: A CASE REPORT

Lycanthropy, by definition, is a belief of delusion in which the patient considers himself or others as a wolf or some other 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 the antipsychotic drug and 20 mg of fluoxetine per day as the antidepressant. Within two years, symptoms of lycanthropy gradually disappeared and the patient recovered from depression to a large extent.