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Othello Syndrome is a psychotic disorder involving the feeling of pathological jealousy over a sexual partner. Othello syndrome is also called jealousy madness and alcohol madness because it often happens to men who consume excessive amounts of alcohol. Such a man begins to perceive his partner as a potential object of feelings of another man or many men, and in the further development of delusional beliefs, he accuses her of cheating. This can have very serious consequences, including acts that are prohibited by law.
What is Othello’s syndrome and how is it manifested?
A man with Othello Syndrome constantly suspects his sexual partner of cheating. He sees her as the object of the sighs of other men (which may actually be the case), but he does not trust her and her assurances of affection and fidelity. Othello Syndrome has all the features of a delusional syndrome, in which the patient creates an internally coherent (logical) structure of beliefs, which, however, is not reflected in the actual state of affairs (it is therefore untrue). Othello Syndrome, or the insanity of jealousy, is a mental illness, specifically a delusional psychosis.
Sometimes, Othello’s syndrome is also diagnosed in women – just like men, they then show pathological jealousy with no rationale for their partner.
The causes of the development of Othello’s syndrome
Alcoholism is a frequent cause of the development of Othello’s syndrome, i.e. the feeling and manifestation of pathological jealousy for a partner. However, not every alcohol abusing man develops this disease. Its background seems to go deeper, and alcohol is one of the triggers of this psychosis.
Othello Syndrome is one form of schizophrenia where strong delusions that have no rationale arise. These delusions can form an internally coherent system – the more logical they are apparently, the more difficult it is to refute them and demonstrate their inconsistency with the actual state of affairs. A patient suffering from Othello’s syndrome “knows his own” and will not change his beliefs so easily under the influence of someone’s persuasion, and certainly will not be changed by his partner’s assurance that she will remain faithful.
The cause of Othello’s syndrome seems to be an unconscious fear of abandonment and betrayal. The affected person begins to project his fears onto the environment – in this case, on the sexual partner / partner. She begins to notice the symptoms of the alleged betrayal in her partner’s every behavior, gaze and word and blame her for not being faithful. Such behavior discourages the partner and causes her frustration, sometimes it is also a self-fulfilling prophecy (what we fear most often materializes in the form of life events).
What can Othello’s syndrome lead to?
Othello Syndrome is a delusional syndrome that can have dangerous consequences. In Shakespeare’s play, the title Othello, paranoidly jealous of Desdemona, whom he accused of infidelity with Cassio, eventually killed his allegedly unfaithful wife. Jealousy crimes are unfortunately not uncommon and can happen to both men and women. Their victim may be an allegedly unfaithful partner or a person with whom the partner / partner is cheating on them.
A patient suffering from Othello’s syndrome can also follow his partner, check her call records, read e-mails and texts, hire detectives, install wiretaps in her house and perform other absurd and rationally unmotivated activities. A person with Othello’s syndrome interprets the lack of evidence as the partner’s exceptional cunning and caution, so nothing can really convince such a patient that he is wrong.
How is Othello’s syndrome treated?
If Othello Syndrome is the result of an alcoholism disorder, the first step to treating morbid jealousy and delusional syndrome is to stay sober. But simply giving up alcohol is not enough to overcome the delusions of being cheated on. Psychotherapy is necessary, and in some cases even hospitalization of the patient. If the patient is aggressive and endangers the partner’s health and life, a court may issue a treatment and hospitalization order. Therapy then consists of administering antipsychotic drugs and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Othello’s syndrome is difficult to treat, however; the therapy may even last for the patient’s life, with periods of remission, but without clear effects in the form of a permanent change of delusional beliefs and their replacement with true beliefs (consistent with reality). Of course, the fundamental issue in the hospital treatment of Othello’s syndrome is to detoxify the patient and keep him sober. Abstinence after hospitalization is also a prerequisite for the success of further treatment. Usually, however, patients with Othello’s syndrome suffer from a far-reaching lack of the ability to critically evaluate their own beliefs, which effectively hinders treatment.
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