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Over the past month or so people on the street, in shops, on public transport and in pubs have acknowledged me and said hello. But I do not recognise those people. Some greet me with a name that is not my own. One man greeted me on the street yesterday. I said that I did not recognise him. He said we meet in a pub the previous night. But I have not been in that pub for over a year. And was not in the neighbourhood that night.

I can really appreciate the novel entitled  The Double by Dostoyevsky and a  fine film by Richard Ayolade  in 2013. It is upsetting. What if my double offends someone or breaks a law? So I am beginning experience some anxiety. I know my name. I was not in the places where my greeters said I was. I am certain I am not psychotic or demented and willing to take any test. How would people deal with this? Have others experienced the social effect of having a double?

Edited by Angst
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Just to clarify. I do not believe that the double is a genetic replica but our appearances must be broadly similar in terms of facial features, body shape, dress sense and demeanour.

Today I greeted a woman who I did not know. Is that a correct response? If a person misidentifies by name should I correct them? I have done this four times it causes embarrassment and a lot of time.

Should I ask shops and pubs and suchlike to show me their video recordings in order to identify the double?

Should I CHECK and disconfirm that they have mistaken me especially if they use the wrong name or simply say hello? I tend to check and disconfirm at the moment. Is this the right strategy for OCD?

Edited by Angst
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Guest OCDhavenobrain

Hello Angst, my advice to you would be to go the hospital or tell a qualifed person about those thoughts if you could do so. If this is OCD the person will tell you not to worry, I don't think we are qualified to dismiss it as someone else than OCD.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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Interestingly comment. That is why I said willing to undergo any test. So you do not believe  in mistaken identity? In fact I believe mistaken identity is pretty common. I think the reaction to mistaken identity is in the sphere of OCD. No problem checking reality. My question was should I do so.

Edited by Angst
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Guest OCDhavenobrain
13 minutes ago, Angst said:

Interestingly comment. That is why I said willing to undergo any test. So you do not believe  in mistaken identity? In fact I believe mistaken identity is pretty common. I think the reaction to mistaken identity is in the sphere of OCD. No problem checking reality. My question was should I do so.

Please let a professional do the judgement.

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The judgement of what? That x number of people mistook me for somebody else? How would they do that? The answer is to go into the pub where the man said he drunk with me and ask to see the video recordings. All public places are videoed nowadays. But this is pointless you have defined me as a psychotic. So please absent yourself from this thread. We had a similar conflict before.

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For the life of me I can’t see why this warrants a professional opinion....it’s seems to be just a case of mistaken identity to me, that as you’ve identified Angst the is OCD trying to get its hooks into with the idea to check CCTV etc. I think I would just say Hi, quickly say you have a doppelgänger, haven’t met the individual and leave it there.

This isn’t psychosis imo, just regular OCD starting to latch onto a rare situation, that I think you could nip in the bud Angst.

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