Pathological jealousy, also known as morbid jealousy, Pathological jealousy: when jealousy becomes dangerously extreme

 

Pathological jealousy, also known as morbid jealousy, Pathological jealousy: when jealousy becomes dangerously extreme.

Pathological jealousy, also known as morbid jealousy, Pathological jealousy: when jealousy becomes dangerously extreme Othello's syndrome: pathological jealousy,

Pathological jealousy, also known as morbid jealousy, Otello syndrome or illusion jealousy, is a psychological disorder in which a person is preoccupied with the idea that their spouse or sexual partner is unfaithful without having any real evidence, along with socially unacceptable or abnormal behavior

Jealousy is quite normal in romantic relationships. The problem is when it becomes uncontrollable, constant and unhealthy. When this happens, jealousy ceases to be a concern and becomes a real problem, leading to what is called Othello's syndrome.

This syndrome is named after the Shakespearean play "Othello: The Mother of Venice". Psychologists also refer to it as "misconceived jealousy". In the play, the main character Othello becomes extremely suspicious that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful. He is so convinced of his own suspicions that he murders her and then commits suicide.

Like Othello, there are people who fall into these vicious and compulsive cycles of suspicion and distrust of their partners. There is no objective basis or motivation for it, other than their own imagination. People like these tend to suffer from Othello's syndrome. Next, we will take a closer look at the characteristics, possible causes and treatment of the syndrome.

What characterizes Othello's syndrome

According to DSM-5, Othello's syndrome is a delusional syndrome variant of jealousy paranoia. This means that the basic expression of the disease is pathological or extreme jealousy that supports the idea of ​​a partner's infidelity.

A person suffering from Othello's syndrome behaves completely irrationally. In other words, the individual sees what he wants to see without considering whether or not there is evidence to support his beliefs. His biggest concern in the relationship is to meticulously search for evidence that reveals the partner. He will look through his partner's cell phone and computer and constantly question her routine. His illusion may lead him to believe that his partner has changed her habits since she became unfaithful.

Othello's syndrome is a condition that can have serious consequences due to the uncontrollable and irrational jealousy that engulfs those who suffer from it. In some cases, the individual considers himself or herself a victim of a conspiracy and feels betrayed by his or her partner.

Other people may also play a role in encouraging jealousy. This is the case with Iago in the play, and today it often agrees with different means of communication. Everything that confirms the individual's suspicions becomes important.

Here are some aspects of this condition that can help identify if a person is suffering from this syndrome:

Constant questioning and examination of the partner's habits.

The sudden suspicion that there is another person in the partner's life without any evidence.

Inability to control jealousy due to lack of awareness.

Inability to control impulses.

Constantly searching for explanations that justify suspicions and misinterpretations of the other partner's behavior.

Causes of Othello's syndrome

To date, there are no studies that fully explain the cause of this syndrome. However, there are many factors that affect the development of the condition. Some of these are alcoholism, schizophrenia or substance abuse.

Other studies related Othello's syndrome to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Some experts believe that there is a link between the syndrome and brain damage. What this means is that the cause of the syndrome may be physiological.

It's not just a matter of behavior. There is also an emotional component to self-esteem that we should not forget. Researchers still have a lot of work to do to fully understand the causes of this syndrome.

What is the treatment for pathological jealousy?

Treatment for pathological jealousy is possible with professional help. With help, the individual can learn to control their jealousy and regain their personal peace. In addition, they can even restore harmony in their relationship. To do this, it is important to evaluate the patient properly to find out the origin of his jealousy. Identifying how serious the person's condition is and the consequences it has on the person's life is also important.

The most successful and widely used therapy for Othello's syndrome is cognitive behavioral therapy. On the one hand, psychologists use behavioral techniques such as exposure and response prevention, and on the cognitive side, they use cognitive restructuring. That being said, experts also recommend, in extreme cases, antipsychotic medication for impulse control.

Family and couple therapy are also important. This is because jealousy is sometimes related to the life history of the person affected by Othello's syndrome.

As you can see, Othello's syndrome is a disorder that can have serious consequences. Therefore, it should be remedied as soon as it is detected, and the individual should seek the help of a specialist.

We all feel jealous every now and then. It is actually a normal reaction to the feeling that a high priority relationship is threatened. Healthy Jealousy tells our family members, partners and friends that "you are important to me and I would never want anything bad to happen to our relationship".

But just as there is a normal and healthy jealousy, there is also excessive or obsessed jealousy. This condition is called pathological jealousy.

"Jealousy is the most extreme expression of our own insecurity."

How can we know if what we have is pathological jealousy?

Most cases of pathological jealousy are seen between husband and wife or in love couples. A pathologically jealous person hangs on to the twisted perception that the partner is unfaithful, without caring whether there is evidence to support this conclusion. People suffering from pathological jealousy believe that they are the masters of their partners and are obsessed with watching over, persecuting and trying to catch them "in the act".

Pathological jealousy: What is it, what are the reasons and how do you get rid of it?

content

What is it

reason

symptom

Shapes and stages

What is dangerous?

treatment

Pathological jealousy goes beyond general psychology and is the subject of studies by clinical and forensic psychiatrists. And all because it is a very painful condition that is dangerous for the jealous himself and for the people around him. If nothing is done, it can ruin the personality, break the life, cause a tragedy that will be reported sparingly in the criminal chronicle. In this article, we will look at how and why paranoid jealousy develops, how to recognize and overcome it.

What is it

People think that if he is jealous, he loves. But in cases of pathological jealousy, everything is different. A person is constantly jealous, without cause and cause, common sense and rational arguments are foreign to him. With his jealousy he torments himself and takes others to an extreme point, he becomes suspicious, aggressive, uncontrollable.

Is it a disease? Of course, this is a pathological mental condition that some experts in forensic and clinical psychiatry refer to as common diseases. Almost always this nonsense is accompanied by paranoid diseases - a jealous man not only suspects the other half of his infidelity, but is also sure that he is poured into food and drink to reduce the force, they want to marry him and kill him. Some even believe that the partner changes at night, during sleep.

Officially, pathological jealousy refers to persecution of persecutors. Often the first sign of schizophrenia or psychosis is included.

Normal jealousy is considered a psychoreaction that nature has created to preserve a population. In other words, the jealous person tries to prevent the transmission of genes to the opponent. Pathological jealousy goes beyond the limits of this mechanism, it develops according to its own, painful laws.

In psychiatry and psychology, pathological jealousy has been studied for a long time. Jealous men who state their feelings and suspicions about the degree of paranoia are found in all nations, the disease does not depend on race, age, social status and income level or gender. The offense is often accompanied by concomitant alcohol or drug abuse, but this is not a prerequisite.

Pathological form of jealousy occurs on average in 2% of the population. These are only diagnosed cases and how many jealous people never come to a psychiatrist, given their normal behavior! Statistics are disappointing: 34% of men who killed their wives, it was infidelity in the second half that was the reason for the law. Facts about adultery, according to surveys, were confirmed in only 30% of such cases, that is, the majority of women died due to infidelity invented by their partners. Among women who killed their husbands, only 15% of criminals referred to treason. Facts about male infidelity in these cases were confirmed identically - 32%.

In forensic psychiatry, when such a disease is detected in a person, if it is proven that such a jealousy is dangerous for others, the jealous person has the right to be subjected to mandatory psychiatric treatment.

The most famous pathological jealousy is Bluebeard, Othello. The disease in some psychiatric benefits is called "Othello syndrome".

reason

The reasons for the development of a state of irrational jealousy deserve special attention, because they appear for a cause, not spontaneous.For confusing paranoid mental disorder, conditions arise long before the first manifestation, and knowing that the risk factors will help to avoid mistakes even before the official marriage is entered into or the partners decide to live together under the same roof. If you look at the partner more closely, the conditions can be seen in advance.

Most often, pathological jealous people are people with extremely low self-esteem. If a person is terribly afraid of being alone - this is also an alarming "clock". The future jealous man, even during the candy bouquet period, constantly asks and clarifies how his partner feels about him, because he doubts the sincerity of his feelings. Men and women with impaired sexual function (this includes total infertility) have a very high chance of becoming paranoid jealousy in the future.

Other causes can be described as:

The occurrence of severe psychological trauma in the past associated with betrayal and betrayal (talking about dismissal due to the party's real infidelity, after which it was difficult for the person to recover, needed medical and psychiatric help);

occurrence of brain damage, followed by dysfunctions in his functions (epilepsy) as well as post-traumatic and congenital mental abnormalities: paranoid schizophrenia, depression;

negative childhood experiences (parents refused, raised by grandmother or in orphanage, etc.);

alcoholism, intoxication, even if they were before, but cured, and today the person does not drink alcohol;

vascular disorders of the brain;

hormonal disorders;

sexual dysfunctions (frigidity, impotence);

menopause in women.

Pathological jealousy can appear in both men and women, but it is more common and more dangerous in men.

Unlike normal jealousy, pathological jealousy can persist for years. Pathologically jealous people often focus on insignificant events to accuse their partners of infidelity, and they are not willing to change their point of view when they are shown logical evidence that they are wrong.

In the most chronic cases, the pathological jealousy becomes so extreme that the people become violent towards their partners or lovers. It is also common for pathologically jealous individuals to try to harm themselves. This generally occurs with people who have paranoid personalities and sometimes come along with other psychoses or disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Causes and treatments

Tom Valeo mentions in his article When a Drug Leads to Suspicions of Infidelity that he has seen cases of pathological jealousy in various patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. Although not very common, pathological jealousy has been observed as a side effect of medicines taken by patients with this disease to stimulate dopamine production.

Cocaine, methamphetamine or other drugs that produce sudden increases in dopamine can produce a similar effect. In these cases, treatments for pathological jealousy that involve simply reducing the dose of the drug or overcoming the addiction have proven to be very successful.

Unfortunately, most cases of this condition are not so simple. Pathological jealousy is found in cases of schizophrenia, neurosis, bipolar disorder and in patients with damage to the right frontal lobe. It is also common in alcoholics and people suffering from sexual dysfunction.

In short, jealousy flares up when the person feels insecure and unloved, and has an intense desire to sit in a control position.

To get help with pathological jealousy, it is important to contact a psychologist, psychiatrist or even a sexologist. In some cases, a therapy that includes both members of the relationship can provide great benefits. A health expert will be able to perform a complete evaluation to determine the causes, and thus choose the best treatment.

The future jealous man is usually not sure of his strengths and abilities, it applies to all spheres of life.

symptom

If, with the usual, usually common jealousy, suspicions and experiences of one of the partners begins with some direct or indirect evidence, it is facts, then with irrational jealousy, the reasons are not necessary. He pretends to be events, facts, rivals or rivals, he "cultivates" his sufferings, and any attempt by a partner to explain that this has nothing to do with reality is perceived only as a lie.

Although he receives convincing evidence of allegiance to his spouse, the pathological jealous does not calm down, he does not sincerely believe in their authenticity, believes that those who provide such information, in collaboration with his wrong partner.

Signs of such a mental disorder usually appear after the age of 28. According to observations by psychiatrists, there are ages that are the most "dangerous" in terms of symptom development - 30, 35, 37, 42, 48, 50 years and older. The elderly (after 65-70 years) are even more jealous than young people, especially for women who are in menopause.

For the jealous man of any age, is characterized by the personal overwhelming over the public. He only cares about his feelings, many events in family life (children's successes, parents' problems) pass him by, he does not dive into them. But he can talk for hours about his own sufferings about his probably walking partner and his probably cunning actions and plans.

For the jealous man of any age, is characterized by the personal overwhelming over the public. He only cares about his feelings, many events in family life (children's successes, parents' problems) pass him by, he does not dive into them. But he can talk for hours about his own sufferings about his probably walking partner and his probably cunning actions and plans.

In women

In the fair sex, the condition of misleading paranoid jealousy usually develops against the background of postpartum depression or against the background of the onset of menopause. The development of a serious violation due to infertility or certain external changes that can not be remedied (obesity, cosmetic defects of the face and body after injuries, accidents, burns, acquisition of disability) is not excluded. But other scenarios are possible: the disease has always been, since childhood, simply manifested later.

Women with pathological jealousy are like superspies. They can tirelessly keep track of their partner, check where he went with whom, what messages and letters are on the phone or in the mail from her husband, who called him. Some installation partner tracking systems can go so far as to install hidden surveillance cameras in his car and in the apartment. Total control. A man can not walk or walk without knowledge of his wife.

Women in a state of paranoid jealousy often commit hysteria and scandals with tears and accusations, as long as they refuse sexual intimacy, the effort flows almost constantly on her husband's head. Women can be affected, blackmail, manipulation of children.

In men

In representatives of the stronger sex, the condition of pathological jealousy develops against the background of a large number of causes, including not least the place given to low self-esteem, failures in life and sexual dysfunctions. Most of the jealous men do not want to follow and spy on their partner, although there are some "instances" that do not despise in any way. A characteristic manifestation is the outbreak of unjustified aggression. A man begins to scream, break, spread his hands for no apparent reason, spontaneously and suddenly.

The husband Othello ceases to show his sensitive feelings for his wife, goes to bed separately, avoids sexual intimacy, imprisonment, dodges embraces and kisses, often mocks the husband. He tries to establish control over his wife's social circle: insists that she does not communicate with her friends and colleagues, in time (up to a minute) comes home from work.

Men often become tyrants: they can participate in abuse, restrict their wife's freedom, lock her in the apartment, remove the phone. Often these men demand detailed financial reports from their husbands for every penny she spends. They can blackmail children and even threaten to kill her and her alleged lovers.

Remember that once manifested, morbid jealousy will manifest again, in 100% of cases it tends to recur and progress, and at a fairly rapid rate.

Shapes and stages

Like any other mental illness, jealousy has no cause of its own stages and forms of manifestation. Psychiatrists distinguish three steps.

First, it is the most invisible, hidden. With her, the jealous man still has confusing ideas, but at this stage he can still be convincing with arguments, but not for long.

Second: Obsessive ideas appear, arguments are no longer perceived. There is a desire to control the partner, but it still causes shame and embarrassment, and the jealous man gradually loses control of his desires.

Third: A person is absolutely sure that his partner is cheating on him. If aggression is shown, a person becomes dangerous.

The form of the disease is classified according to the degree and nature of symptoms.

manic - It is impossible to convince a jealous man, he is strongly convinced of consensus, is aggressive and inadequate. It is this form that most often causes the murder of a partner.

depressed - A jealous man goes into himself, avoids communication with his spouse, tries to isolate himself from his partner at all costs.

Spontaneous - A person "explodes" from some unprotected word or action of a partner, attacks of jealousy recede as suddenly as they began.

alcohol - Outbreaks of jealousy occur only during intoxication. At the same time, a person gradually begins to take alcohol with the purpose, to "suffer" once again and torment the partner, because he feels the need for these feelings.

paranoid - A form sophisticated and very enchanting. A person suffers from paranoia about consensus, he creates clear "traps" and adapts situations where the other half must "pierce", organizes surveillance.

Each shape and stage is dangerous in its own way.

What is dangerous?

Irrational jealousy is dangerous for those who are jealous, and for those who are jealous. Becoming a client in a psychiatric clinic is equally at risk. Other hazards include:

risk of suicide in one of the partners

beats and disability in one of the partners

murder;

psychological trauma for children growing up in this family.

treatment

It is impossible to deal with such a jealousy on your own, through a confidential conversation. This is a disease, and it must be treated by a qualified psychiatrist. After gathering the history and test system, the specialist will determine the type and severity of the disease and help cure it with medication, hypnotherapy, NLP, as long as the jealous person agrees to the treatment. Exercise shows that it is almost an impossible task to get the jealous person to go to the doctor's office.

If a person refuses to treat the disease, but he is dangerous, the partner can only turn to a psychiatrist, but the issue of compulsory treatment in Russia is quite difficult to resolve bureaucratically.

Is there a way out? Of course there is. The partner's victim may be close and at the same time seem verified: not to allow situations that irritate the jealous man, do not be late at home. Psychologists are advised not to lie and not make excuses, it will only aggravate the conflict.

If the jealous person's behavior becomes aggressive, you must end the relationship as soon as possible, limit all contacts, report the danger to the local police.

How to get rid of jealousy and how to make a relationship happy, see the next video.

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