Doctors call it differently delirium of jealousy "Othello syndrome" How dangerous is pathology and how should people who are forced to be near a sick person behave? What should be done so that the raging “Othello” comes to his senses and does not harm the object of his passion? Doctors at the Leto mental health center know the correct answers to these and many other questions.
If there is a person next to you who suffers from abnormal jealousy, be sure to enlist the support of experienced specialists. Please understand that we are talking about a serious mental illness that needs to be properly treated. If therapy is not carried out, the situation will worsen. You can make an appointment with Leto doctors by phone.
Gender nuances of the problem
Men are more often diagnosed with paranoid delusions of jealousy. The chances of encountering the disease increase sharply when a person reaches the age of forty. The likelihood of becoming delusional is especially high if you have a history of:
- alcoholism;
- addiction;
- sexual dysfunctions;
- mental illness.
If, due to mental disorders, delusion develops quickly, then in alcohol addicts it develops gradually . So, first the drinker makes claims to his wife after he gets drunk. Later, he begins to give out delusional speculation even in a sober state. Then the patient begins to check literally every step of his wife, making her life unbearable. It comes to domestic scandals and fights. It is clear that their initiator is “Othello”.
In women, the disease develops in parallel with aggression, periodically alternating with depression .
When conducting diagnostics at the time of diagnosis, the doctor discovers that the patient’s blood levels of serotonin (known as the happy hormone) are low. Therefore, she often shouts at her family, looking for reasons to quarrel with them. After such squabbles, the concentration of dopamine (the pleasure hormone) in the body temporarily increases. The patient becomes very vindictive, embittered towards the whole world. Suspecting a spouse of infidelity creates conditions leading to divorce.
What methods do doctors use to treat morbid jealousy?
Pathological jealousy is difficult to treat. Therapy is preceded by the doctor’s determination of the psychological, social and biological characteristics of each specific patient. The greatest successes in therapy can be achieved with the help of psychopharmacotherapy: specific neuroleptics, mood stabilizers, neurometabolic therapy, sedatives. Psychotherapy and physiotherapy are used in combination with medications. Isolation from the familiar environment (for example, hospitalization in a hospital) can have a positive effect on the prevalence of ideas of jealousy.
If you or your loved one exhibits the symptoms described above, please contact us. We provide psychological assistance and, if necessary, treatment of pathological jealousy.
Why does the disorder develop?
Scientists are still debating why symptoms of delusions of jealousy occur. Today there are several theories of its development. Researchers say with confidence that poor heredity plays an important role in the appearance and progression of pathology.
Pathology can also form due to abnormal functioning of any part of the brain . Thus, with a deficiency of any neurotransmitter, normal processes of brain activity are disrupted, and negative reactions such as aggression, depression, and delirium are activated.
Often, delusions of jealousy occur after a stressful situation, alcohol binge, or drug overdose . If the patient has reduced vision, poor hearing, or has a disability, then delusional disorders will become even more colorful and vivid - he will invent something that he actually did not see or hear.
Psychologists about jealousy
From the point of view of a psychologist, jealousy is one of the phenomena of the human psyche, which in many situations is a normal reaction to the emerging conditions of a lack of attention from a significant person. That is, it is assumed that in any normal healthy person this feeling is possible. Jealousy is a negatively colored experience and therefore causes suffering. Like any negative emotion (envy, humiliation, guilt, desire for revenge, etc.), jealousy has a “useful meaning”, allowing our psyche to better adapt to external stress factors. According to psychologists, the so-called unconscious jealousy is especially insidious and “toxic”. Unconscious jealousy is manifested by aggressive or codependent behavior with loved ones, self-aggression. At the same time, the person himself does not understand that he is jealous and is trying in this way to regain attention, recognition or love.
Risk group for the development of pathology
Doctors were able to establish that more often people experience delusions of jealousy who:
- abuse alcohol;
- take psychoactive substances;
- suffer from hallucinosis, paranoid personality disorder;
- have been abused in the past;
- experience difficulties interacting with members of the opposite sex;
- have pronounced sadistic tendencies.
How to cope with jealousy: advice from a Moscow psychologist
Jealousy is one of the common reasons why women turn to psychologists. Many women tend to experience a constant painful state of internal fear, fear of losing an object that is significant to them. According to experts, everyone has jealousy to one degree or another. We can be jealous of friends, colleagues, family members, it all depends on the degree of emotional closeness. What is jealousy and where does it come from, says Nina Kizrina, a psychologist at the Nadezhda branch of the Crisis Center for Assistance to Women and Children.
Bring peace back to the family
32-year-old Tatyana contacted the Crisis Center for Women and Children. She has been married to Mikhail for 12 years, her husband holds a leadership position and spends a lot of time at work.
Until June 2021, the woman had no idea that her husband could cheat on her. But after her best friend’s long-term and happy marriage collapsed before her eyes due to betrayal, Tatyana became seriously worried. In just a few weeks, she got so worked up that she couldn’t sleep a wink. The woman began to feel that Mikhail had been deceiving her for a long time. This is how endless surveillance of her husband began, and over time this led to frequent conflicts in the family that had not existed before. Tatyana realized that causeless jealousy would not lead to good, and turned to professional psychologists for help.
“The psychologist developed a plan for individual conversations. Meetings with Tatyana took place once or twice a week for three months. In the process of work, we managed to restore the emotional background, relieve obsessive and disturbing thoughts, harmonize the relationship between spouses and restore peace to the family,” says the specialist.
What kind of jealousy is there?
Jealousy is a strong, negative, emotional feeling of possessiveness, enhanced by selfishness, the desire to completely control another person, which is usually expressed in distrust, suspicion, and painful doubts about fidelity and love.
Psychologists distinguish three types of jealousy: rational, irrational, delusional jealousy.
- Rational jealousy occurs when there is actually a real threat of losing the object of love.
- Irrational jealousy is not related to reality and is based mainly on imagination and fantasy. It occurs in people with a vivid imagination, who suffer from inferiority complexes, and who suffered mental trauma in childhood.
- Delirium of jealousy is inadequate, unreasonable jealousy, reaching the point of mental pathology. This type of jealousy mainly occurs in people with mental disorders (schizophrenia, paranoid disorder, alcoholism, drug addiction).
How jealousy is born
Feelings of jealousy develop between one and three years of age. In the family, the child learns how to interact with each other, what the relationship between parents should be. The baby sees how mom and dad communicate, take care of each other, and solve problems.
As a rule, a jealous woman in most cases chooses as her husband a man who will stimulate this feeling. The origins of the causes of jealousy come from child-parent relationships - lack of love in childhood, physical or sexual abuse, genetic predisposition, childhood psychological trauma. Growing up, a jealous woman on an unconscious level begins to play out her scenario from childhood - the psychological trauma of rejection, fearing its repetition. Later, such behavior acts as a form of prevention of betrayal.
“The reasons for jealousy may be competition between brothers/sisters who claim a special status with their parents; identifying with the betrayed parent when the other parent is unfaithful; dysfunctional relationships in the parental family - alcoholism, physical violence, infidelity by a parent of the opposite sex,” says the specialist.
The reasons for jealousy in adulthood are self-doubt, low sexual self-esteem, the presence of an inferiority complex, uselessness, and underestimation of one’s own abilities and capabilities. Also, the causes of jealousy can be emotional dependence, fear of losing the object of love or loneliness, an excessive sense of ownership, an unlimited right to possess another person.
One of the ways jealousy manifests itself is sadomasochism. Experiences of jealousy here are closely related to self-torment, with manifestations of masochistic tendencies.
“The jealous person gets a kind of pleasure from the torment experienced during constant surveillance, looking for evidence of her partner’s betrayal,” notes Svetlana.
An important reason for jealousy is the neurotic need for control. If a jealous woman misses the opportunity to control her partner, then she begins to panic and jealousy increases significantly.
Another reason for jealousy is the provocative behavior of a partner. In this case, the partner unconsciously provokes jealousy in order to receive “evidence of love,” focusing on the formula “being jealous means loving.” Therefore, such women always have a dramatic relationship with their partner; she constantly needs confirmation of love. This indicates a high degree of codependency.
“If there is silence at home, there are no manifestations from the husband, declarations of love, scandals and manifestations of jealousy, then it becomes unbearable for her - she needs an emotional shake-up, a release that she is used to receiving in her parents’ dysfunctional family,” says the psychologist.
How to get rid of jealousy
- If you decide to fight this negative and destructive feeling, then always proceed from the idea that your partner is faithful to you. If you keep thinking about him cheating on you, you will never be able to overcome your jealousy.
- Realize that the reason for your jealousy lies not in the actions of your partner, but in your own fears of the horrors that your imagination draws: infidelity, betrayal, loneliness.
- Having realized that the reason for your jealousy is fears and complexes, do not expect your partner to do something magical that will make jealousy go away. Won't take it off. The only person who can pull you out of the swamp of jealousy before it completely destroys you completely is yourself.
- Replacing fear. The best way to deal with fear is another fear. Stop being afraid that your loved one will cheat on you, start fearing that with your suspicions, scenes of jealousy and hysterics you will completely destroy your relationship. When you are truly afraid of this, the feeling of jealousy will leave you forever.
If you find it difficult to cope with feelings of jealousy on your own, sign up for a consultation with professional psychologists. The specialists at My Family will help you in such a difficult situation.
Press service of the Department of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Moscow
Cost of services
| CONSULTATIONS OF SPECIALISTS | |
| Initial consultation with a psychiatrist (60 min.) | 6,000 rub. |
| Repeated consultation | 5,000 rub. |
| Consultation with a psychiatrist-narcologist (60 min.) | 5,000 rub. |
| Consultation with a psychologist | 3,500 rub. |
| Consultation with Gromova E.V. (50 minutes) | 12,000 rub. |
| PSYCHOTHERAPY | |
| Psychotherapy (session) | 7,000 rub. |
| Psychotherapy (5 sessions) | 30,000 rub. |
| Psychotherapy (10 sessions) | 60,000 rub. |
| Group psychotherapy (3-7 people) | 3,500 rub. |
| Psychotherapy session with E.V. Gromova (50 minutes) | 12,000 rub. |
This list does not contain all prices for services provided by our clinic. The full price list can be found on the “Prices” , or by calling: 8(969)060-93-93. Initial consultation is FREE!
Degrees of manifestation of jealousy
Destructive feelings vary in their causes and degrees of manifestation; jealousy is the most common:
- Narcissistic – emotional, violently expressed, based on the deep-seated confidence of the individual that she is not loved, but used, deceived. The reason for the manifestation of negativity is the “increased” attention and courtesy of the partner to other people (a shy guest, an acquaintance on the street).
- Paranoid - characterized by espionage, checks, attempts to catch lies, inconsistencies from the very beginning of the relationship. A person is afraid of losing not his soul mate, but the relationship as such.
- Masochistic - its “foundation” is the low self-esteem of a jealous person, confidence in one’s own worthlessness and uninterestingness. It is characterized by instilling guilt in the partner, provoking “dangerous” situations: the jealous person introduces the partner to attractive friends and colleagues, and then revels in the painful pleasure of the burning feeling.
- Hysterical – emotional, theatrical, stormy. It is strongly tied to the physical and occurs when sexual contacts decrease, age-related changes are detected (gray hair, wrinkles).
- Obsessive-compulsive – low-emotional, ritualistic in nature (only evening conversations are monitored, the phone is checked strictly in the morning). Carrying out “planned” actions allows the jealous person to feel confident.
- Avoidant - a person unconsciously creates a distance with a partner, preventing fusion and true intimacy. In this case, few feelings and emotions are expressed, jealousy is manifested by sadness and alienation.
Any manifestation of possessiveness towards a partner is associated with the presence of certain psychological problems, and the intensity depends on temperament, upbringing and the degree of internal maturity of the individual.
How to treat
After diagnosis, the doctor talks with the couple and tells them about the specifics of the diagnosis. For treatment to be effective, it is important to understand what triggered the pathological mechanism for the progression of delusions of jealousy.
If the patient is inadequate and is ready to use force against his victim, he is hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital. Such a person should not be left at home, as the consequences for his family could be very sad.
Therapy is carried out at two levels:
- reducing the risk of domestic violence;
- relief of symptoms of mental disorder.
The patient is prescribed medications (antidepressants, antipsychotics, sedatives) , and is prescribed effective psychosocial programs. Group and individual therapy sessions and cognitive behavioral adjustment can achieve excellent results.
It is very important not to delay treatment of delusions of jealousy until later, since this pathology tends to rapidly progress and worsen. So call the clinic right now - 8(969)060-93-93
How to get rid of feelings of jealousy
If jealousy arises as a reaction to real external events (the departure of a loved one for another, unrequited love, lack of attention), then there is no need to specifically get rid of it. In such cases this is normal. Psychologists recommend waiting it out (“press pause”), switching gears (going on vacation or working with your head), working with your anxiety and your, usually in such cases, low self-esteem. Psychologists have a lot of exercises and activities in their arsenal for this type of help: special trainings, psychotherapy using the symboldrama method or emotional-imaginative therapy.
In cases where a feeling of jealousy covers the entire consciousness, subordinates behavior, changes perception, then the help of a psychotherapist or psychiatrist will be required. In mild cases, pathological jealousy manifests itself in the form of obsessive thoughts; a person may remain critical of his condition and understand that he cannot cope with it on his own. In severe cases, the preoccupation turns into delirium (erroneous conclusions that cannot be dissuaded), critical understanding is lost, and here help is only possible in cases where relatives notice this and can arrange an examination by a psychiatrist. Only treatment can get rid of such feelings of jealousy.
What symptoms accompanying feelings of jealousy should be noted as dangerous and requiring the help of a doctor:
- Checking someone else's phone, mail, social networks and other personal correspondence. Checking personal belongings. Regularly and for no reason.
- A strong belief that “he (she) is definitely cheating on me” without evidence of cheating.
- Sleep disturbances in the form of late falling asleep and (or) early awakenings.
- Decreased appetite, weight loss.
- Aggression.
- The feeling that others are “discussing, judging or hating me.”
- Guilt.
Victims
An even more significant part of the patients are their victims: women exhausted by nagging, suspicions and scandals, depressed and aged early. It often comes to physical violence. As a rule, sooner or later, often after several years of hesitation, they decide to leave their husbands. In most cases, the victim’s psyche gradually recovers and the main thing they regret later is that they did not escape earlier. Sometimes the escape comes too late - and the victim, unfortunately, can no longer fully restore his mental health, remaining depressed and anxious for many years.
Jealousy is the art of causing yourself more harm than others.
Alexander Dumas son
Few people understand the suffering of a victim of a jealous husband: her friends say to her: “What are you dissatisfied with? Your husband provides for you and does a lot of housework. And what makes her jealous is even pleasant: she considers her beautiful and attractive! I would be happy if mine were jealous of me!” And all this would be so if jealousy happened sporadically, once every few months. But this does not happen - there are no “episodic” jealous people in nature. The wives of jealous people constantly feel under suspicion, they are forced to constantly - sometimes almost daily - make excuses, are forced to constantly control themselves - warn friends and colleagues not to call them at home, limit their time at work, in the store, in the cinema. They get tired of constant self-control and begin to hate the one who turns their life into hell.
What is a jealous person capable of?
Explicit or hidden control, a ban on communicating with “potentially dangerous” people, eavesdropping, surveillance, monitoring of social networks, instant messengers, search histories, sudden returns home after hours, spontaneous visits to work, provocative questions - this is a small arsenal of actions of jealous people.
Causes of development and predisposing factors
The main cause of psychosis is long-term alcohol abuse, accompanied by the development of psychoorganic syndrome. Usually the disease occurs in patients with epileptoid or paranoid character accentuation. Even before the onset of the disease, such patients are self-centered, distrustful, suspicious, and tend to strictly regulate the lives of those around them and demand strict adherence to the rules they have established.
In the premorbid period, a tendency to form extremely valuable ideas is often revealed. Most patients experience a continuous long course of alcoholism (ten years or more). Signs of alcoholic personality degradation are often revealed. There is a history of delirium tremens and other alcoholic psychoses. Severe dysfunction of internal organs, alcoholic encephalopathy, alcoholic polyneuritis and other diseases caused by chronic alcoholism may be detected.
Diagnosis of the disorder
If you notice symptoms of delirium in your partner, you must promptly seek professional help. It is important to try not to get into disputes and not to lead the situation to aggressive dialogues and proceedings.
One of the most common methods for diagnosing the disease is an intravenous test based on ethyl alcohol. After the administration of the composition, the patient with the syndrome begins to express himself with stories about his partner’s infidelities. Alcohol intoxication activates a disorder of consciousness, thus demonstrating the severity of the pathology stage.
However, such a test is not the main and only diagnosis of delusions of jealousy. Specialists collect a complete psychiatric history. Conversations are held not only with the person being diagnosed, but also with his partner. It turns out how delusional the accusations of infidelity are, whether there have been similar cases before, and heredity also appears.
When diagnosing the disease in women, much attention is paid to assessing the situation from the point of view of suicidal feelings. In this case, it is important to prevent irreparable actions on her part.
When examining men, psychiatrists attach special importance to the degree of his aggressiveness: how dangerous a person with Othello syndrome is to his loved ones. Have there been fights in his life, have there been attacks of aggression before? In situations where a person is capable of cruel treatment due to disorders of consciousness, it is important to protect the spouse and children (if any) from serious consequences.
It is important to note that the disease manifests itself in most cases at the age of 30-40 years. This type of disorder is not diagnosed among children.
Treatment and prognosis for alcoholic delusions of jealousy
Treatment of psychosis is long-term, carried out in a psychiatric or drug treatment department. Patients are given detoxification therapy, large doses of vitamins are administered, and antipsychotics are prescribed. In the initial stages, especially with persistent deep delirium, insulin comas are used. Drug therapy is supplemented with psychotherapeutic influence. They provide treatment for alcohol addiction. Patients are discharged only after the reduction of delusional ideas and the disappearance of aggressive tendencies.
It should be taken into account that patients can mislead relatives and health workers by dissimulating the symptoms of the disease, assuring other people of their recovery and demanding discharge. In order to prevent danger to others, discharge in such cases is issued only by decision of the medical commission. For 3 years after discharge, patients are observed by a narcologist and a psychiatrist. If delirium worsens, they are immediately hospitalized. If the patient refuses treatment, compulsory hospitalization is indicated.
The prognosis for this pathology is questionable. In many patients, delusional ideas persist even after complete cessation of alcohol consumption. However, with qualified treatment and a sober lifestyle, delirium gradually weakens, although it does not always disappear completely. Patients say they “forgive” their spouse, consider the past unimportant, and want to improve the relationship. In approximately 30% of cases, almost complete recovery occurs within several years after stopping drinking alcohol.
If the patient continues to drink alcohol, symptoms of psychosis persist. The only reason for the decrease in the intensity and value of delusional ideas as the patient ages is the increasing intellectual and cognitive decline caused by organic changes in the brain. In elderly patients, the number of false memories increases, while the delusion of jealousy somewhat loses its severity and is partially replaced by the delusion of damage.
