'Come share my world' of 'madness': a systematic review of clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of folie à deux

Folie À Trois: A Case of Shared Delusions Between a Patient, Her Sister, and Another Patient in the In-Patient Psychiatric Unit

Folie à deux is a rare condition in which a single person (often with a psychiatric disorder) develops a delusion that is shared by another person. Folie à troix is when a delusion is shared by three people. This case report documents the unusual case of an individual who shared delusions with two different people simultaneously. This report inspires questions about this person, her delusions, and what made them so believable to others. It is known that the development of shared delusions most commonly occurs in relative isolation and disproportionately affects individuals with preexisting psychiatric comorbidities. Because of these risk factors, delusions in a psychiatric unit may be even more "contagious" than in the general population. To our knowledge, this case report is the first to document a newly developed delusion shared between two unrelated patients in a single psychiatric unit. While physical separation of patients is the best practice in such cases, a risk-benefit analysis is needed prior to this intervention given the social barriers that may limit such an approach. Further research is needed to diagnose, manage, and optimize treatment for shared delusions in settings such as inpatient psychiatric facilities.

Folie à Deux in the Setting of COVID-19 Quarantine

We relay the case of a middle-aged male and his mother, an elderly female, who presented with folie à deux in the context of shared delusions of persecution and somatization during the COVID-19 quarantine period. The delusions were described as electric microwave shocks being transmitted to their internal organs by neighbors, followed by somatic symptoms of palpitations, headaches, and a shock-like perception. To the best of our knowledge, there have not been any reports that describe the development of folie à deux in the setting of the COVID-19 quarantine. Folie à deux may be defined as delusions affecting two or more individuals, usually first-degree relatives. Delusions classically transmit from one person, coined the inducer, to one or several individuals, the induced, who share and may expand on the communicated delusions. The preconditions that must exist for folie à deux to develop are an intimate emotional association between the inducer and the induced and a genetic predisposition to psychosis, such as blood relations with primary relatives. Isolation from society has also been considered a potential risk factor for shared psychosis in the recent literature. Given that to the best of our knowledge, there have not been any reports describing the development of folie à deux in the setting of the COVID-19 quarantine, the authors aim to dissect how extended periods of shared isolation from society during such a significant time in history may have served as a significant precipitating factor in the onset of shared psychotic disorder, while simultaneously illustrating a parallel relation to how such conditions may predispose certain subgroups to similarly dynamic-based mental health disorders. In addition, an evaluation of the origins and multifactorial etiology of folie à deux, along with that of existing treatment modalities, and the emphasis on advancement toward more effective treatment approaches will be provided.

Addressing Delusions in Women and Men with Delusional Disorder: Key Points for Clinical Management

Delusional disorders (DD) are difficult conditions for health professionals to treat successfully. They are also difficult for family members to bear. The aim of this narrative review is to select from the clinical literature the psychosocial interventions that appear to work best for these conditions and to see whether similar strategies can be modeled or taught to family members so that tensions at home are reduced. Because the content of men's and women's delusions sometimes differ, it has been suggested that optimal interventions for the two sexes may also differ. This review explores three areas: (a) specific treatments for men and women; (b) recommended psychological approaches by health professionals, especially in early encounters with patients with DD; and (c) recommended psychoeducation for families. Findings are that there is no evidence for differentiated psychosocial treatment for men and women with delusional disorder. What is recommended in the literature is to empathically elicit the details of the content of delusions, to address the accompanying emotions rather than the logic of the presented argument, to teach self-soothing techniques, and to monitor behavior with respect to its safety. These recommendations have only been validated in individual patients and families. More rigorous clinical trials need to be conducted.