Clinical lycanthropy

Clinical lycanthropy is a rare mental health disorder.^[1] People with this disorder believe they are a wolf or werewolf.^[1][2][3][4] ("Lycanthropy" describes the process of a human shapeshifting into a werewolf.^[1]) This is a delusion (a false belief).

Usually, people with clinical lycanthropy have a mental disorder that can cause psychosis or hallucinations, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression.^[4] Treatment of these underlying conditions (for example, with antipsychotic medication) usually makes lycanthropy go away.^[4]

A 2021 study noted:^[4]

Clinical lycanthropy may be a culture-[specific] syndrome that happens in the context of Western cultures, myths, and stories on werewolves, and today's exposure to these narratives on cultural media such as the internet and the series.