Mental Automatism Syndrome

Mental automatism syndrome, also known as Kandinsky-Clerambault syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the patient's feeling that his thoughts, actions and feelings are controlled by external forces.

The main symptoms of this syndrome include:

1. The conviction that the patient’s thoughts are “put into” his consciousness from the outside or “taken out” from him by extraneous forces.

2. The feeling that body movements and speech are controlled by someone else.

3. The belief that behavior and emotions are controlled by external manipulators.

4. Hallucinations in which “voices” comment on the patient’s actions or give him commands.

Mental automatism syndrome most often occurs in schizophrenia, but can also be observed in other mental illnesses. Treatment usually includes antipsychotic medications and psychotherapy.