Gaëtan Gatian de Clérambault

Gaëtan Henri Alfred Edouard Léon Marie Gatian de Clérambault (July 2, 1872, Bourges – November 17, 1934) was a French psychiatrist.

De Clérambault gained his thesis in 1899. In 1905 he became assistant physician at the special infirmary for the insane, Prefecture de Police. From 1920 he was head of this institution. Apart from his psychiatric studies, he was an acclaimed painter and wrote on the costumes of various native tribes. He was also a professional photographer, and is remembered for a large quantity of photographs taken in Morocco of its populace. These photos were later placed in the Musée de l'Homme, and in 1990 exhibited at the Pompidou Center in Paris. For a period of time de Clérambault conducted classes at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts.

For his actions during World War I, de Clérambault was awarded with a cross of the Légion d'Honneur as well as the Croix de guerre. He committed suicide by firearm on November 17, 1934 in Malakoff, a commune southwest of Paris Fact|date=February 2007.

He is known for creating a theoretical system in which the understanding of the basic characteristics of psychotic symptoms would link with the description of their alleged underlying neural processes. These neural processes would then be defined in terms of abnormal behavior of neural connectivity. De Clérambault provided a thorough taxonomy of psychotic symptoms based on subtle nuances, which he arranged in a complex system of categories and groups based on sensory, mental and motor phenomena. Eventually, all the categorized symptoms would be defined by a single, common characteristic; their autonomous and automatic nature. The psychotic symptoms were then referred to as "automatisms".

De Clérambault believed that automatisms can happen in the context of normal, or during subnormal thinking processes when the nervous system is challenged. Therefore in the context of automatisms, the boundaries of psychotic and normal functionality are redefined.

Famously, the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan attributed his 'entry into psychoanalysis' as largely due to the influence of de Clérambault, whom he regarded as his 'only master in psychiatry.'

Associated syndromes

* de Clérambault's syndrome; (also called erotomania) a condition in which a person becomes deluded that a certain person of higher social status is in love with them. Described by de Clérambault in his publication of "Les Psychoses Passionelles" in 1921.
* Kandinsky-Clérambault syndrome; a confusing clinical entity in which the patient believes his mind is being controlled by someone else or external forces. Named along with Russian physician Victor Khrisanfovich Kandinsky (1849-1889).

References

* [http://www.mentalautomatism.com/ReadPreface.htm Description of Automatisms]
* "Parts of this article are based on a translation of an article from the French Wikipedia."