A situation similar to the ones shown in the landmark movies like Groundhog Day, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, and Palm Springs unfolded in the case of an elderly man, who felt trapped in repetitive situations despite doctors trying to convince him otherwise.

Hallucinations and delusions are common manifestations of dementia, where brain changes can cause individuals to perceive, hear, or hold beliefs about things that aren't grounded in reality.

The man started perceiving malfunctions in his e-book reader and developed the impression that his television was showing the same news on repeat. He sought the help of relevant technicians in both cases, and found everything was functioning properly and his concerns were unfounded, according to IFL Science.

"Every day is a repeat of the day before... Every (television) session is identical," the unidentified man told doctors, as per the case report, which was published in BMJ Journals. "Wherever I go, the same people are on the side of the road, the same cars behind me with the same people in them... the same person gets out of the cars wearing the same clothes, carrying the same bags, saying the same things... nothing is new."

A subsequent assessment found that the person had difficulties with memory, including verbal, and had a tendency to conflate two stories into one. Brain scans that followed showed the man had Alzheimer's Disease.

The condition experienced by the man was not a novel occurrence, as it had been documented in medical history since 1896 by the term "pathological form of déjà vu."

The condition, called déjà vécu, involves the intrusion of dream images that disrupt everyday thoughts, leading individuals to perceive a sense of familiarity with events that they believe have occurred previously.

Those afflicted with this condition often endure distressing psychological anguish, which can manifest as physical discomfort and distress.

Researchers claim one possible explanation behind the phenomenon could be a person's heightened ability to remember dreams. Professor Alan S Brown of Colombia University of Irving Medical Center told CNN the condition predominantly occurs in the area surrounding the hippocampus, and most likely on the right side of the brain, in a lemon-shaped hole.

Doctors tried to treat the patient with a trial of immunotherapy, but efforts were proven futile. Four years later, the man, who continued to live in isolation as his symptoms remained "pervasive and bothersome," showed signs of progressive Alzheimer's Disease.

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Dementia affects people through a number of diseases, including Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and Pick's disease. Pixabay