You season 4: What is erotomania? (Is it real?)

The last five episodes of You season 4 are streaming on Netflix, and people can’t wait to watch them to see if Joe catches and takes down the Eat The Rich killer. However, there’s another character who finds themselves in a difficult situation in part 2, and it’s none other than socialite Lady Phoebe Borehall-Blaxworth (Tilly Keeper).

Spoilers ahead from You season 4 part 2.

In episode 6, Phoebe discovers she has a stalker, and it turns out to be the photographer that’s been watching Joe (Dawn). But Phoebe doesn’t realize Dawn’s her stalker until Dawn takes her to a hotel room and starts acting erratically. She mentions how she and Phoebe have matching tattoos, which isn’t true. She even tells Phoebe she’s been watching her on television for years and follows all her social media pages. But Phoebe realizes Dawn is really mentally unstable when Dawn tells her she felt like Phoebe was trying to tell her something through a tweet.

Eventually, Joe arrives at the hotel room and is let in by Dawn. He tries to get Dawn to let Phoebe go, but she refuses to do so. As Dawn points a knife at Joe, Phoebe tries to calm her down by telling her that she’s a good person but just needs help. Then, Phoebe tells Dawn she’s suffering from erotomania. She explains what erotomania is, but Dawn tells her that’s not what’s happening to her. Fortunately, Phoebe is able to grab the knife from Dawn, and the police arrive a short while later to arrest her.

But is erotomania real? Is this something a person can suffer from in real life? Here’s what we know.

You season 4: Is erotomania real?

Phoebe explains erotomania as a delusion where you think you know someone but you don’t. She even shares with Dawn that one of her friends knew of a postal worker who suffered from it. Phoebe’s friend told her the postal worker thought she was proposing to him through traffic lights.

Now after doing our research, we found out erotomania is actually real. According to the National Library of Medicine, erotomania is a “form of delusional disorder in which an individual believes that another person, usually of higher status, is in love with him.”

It’s also known as De Clérambault’s Syndrome and is considered a rare mental health condition. Additionally, it can last for a few hours, days, or even continue for months or years. Therefore, it’s highly recommended that people suffering from this disorder get the professional help they need immediately to prevent it from disrupting their lives.

The entire fourth season of You is streaming right now only on Netflix.