Editing Erotomania (section)

==Symptoms==
The core symptom of erotomania is that the individual holds an unshakable belief that another person is secretly in love with them. In some cases, the person with the condition may believe several people at once are "secret admirers". Most commonly, the individual has delusions of being loved by an unattainable person who is usually an acquaintance or someone the person has never met. They may also experience other types of delusions concurrently with erotomania, such as delusions of reference, wherein the perceived admirer secretly communicates their love by subtle methods such as body posture, arrangement of household objects, colors, numbers, license plates on cars from specific states and other seemingly innocuous {{nowrap|acts{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{px2}}}}or, if the person is a public figure, through clues in the media such as coded social media posts and meaningful clothing choices. Some delusions may be extreme such as the conception, birth, and kidnapping of children that never existed or the belief that the individual was predestined or chosen by God to be with the object of their obsession. The delusional objects may be replaced by others over time, and some may be chronic in fixed forms.<ref name=":1" /> [[denial (psychology)|Denial]] is characteristic with this disorder as the patients do not accept the fact that their object of delusion may be married, unavailable, or uninterested.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} The phantom lover may also be imaginary or deceased.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Erotomania has two forms: primary and secondary. Primary erotomania is also commonly referred to as de Clérambault's syndrome and old maid's insanity<ref name=":2" /> and it exists alone without [[Comorbidity|comorbidities]], has a sudden onset and a chronic outcome.<ref name=":1" /> The secondary form is found along with mental disorders like paranoid schizophrenia, often includes [[persecutory delusions]], [[hallucination]]s, and grandiose ideas, and has a more gradual onset.<ref name=":1" /> Patients with a "fixed" condition are more seriously ill with constant delusions and are less responsive to treatment. These individuals are usually timid, dependent women that are often sexually or socially inexperienced.<ref name=":1" /> In those with a more mild, recurrent condition, delusions are shorter-lived and the disorder can exist undetected by others for years.<ref name=":2" /> Problematic behaviors include actions like calling and texting, sending letters and unwanted gifts, persistent internet harassment via social media and email, making unannounced house visits, contacting or attempting to contact the individuals friends, family or co-workers and other persistent stalking behaviors.<ref name=":1" />