Violence by proxy in Othello syndrome


SUKRU U., HUNER A., Yerlikaya E. E.

PRIMARY CARE PSYCHIATRY, cilt.9, sa.4, ss.121-123, 2004 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 9 Sayı: 4
  • Basım Tarihi: 2004
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1185/135525704x15039
  • Dergi Adı: PRIMARY CARE PSYCHIATRY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.121-123
  • Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Delusional disorder that is based upon jealousy is known as the Othello syndrome. The delusion concerns the fidelity of the partner. An affected person usually perceives any kind of incident as proof of infidelity, which is totally in the imagination of the patent. The patients might take many extraordinary actions against their partners. These may include restricting the autonomy of the partner and getting violent. In this report, we present the case of a male patient who believed his wife was cheating on him. In order to prevent her from cheating he forced his wife to have surgery. Although she did not have any related health problems, in order to hinder her sexual life, he persuaded a doctor to remove his wife's uterus. She underwent total abdominal hysterectomy. This case was found to be interesting due to the proxy violence associated with the delusion. In this case, it is conspicuous that the violence was not inflicted directly, but it was took place with the help of a doctor. Physicians should be careful with patents with a delusional disorder of the jealousy type, especially when delivering health care to either the patent or their partner.