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Erotomania in males

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Pamela Taylor*
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London, St Bartholemew's Hospital, London
B. Mahendra
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London, St Bartholemew's Hospital, London
John Gunn
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London, St Bartholemew's Hospital, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr P. J. Taylor, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.

Synopsis

In anglophonic countries erotomania has traditionally been regarded as a female disorder of little more than curiosity value. The French literature recognizes the disorder in males, but as a rarity. In a recently collected group of violent male offenders the syndrome proved to be fairly common. The offending behaviour was invariably triggered by the core symptom. A description is provided of four cases whose level of aggression was low but appeared to be directly related to the firmness with which the delusion of being loved was held. The disorder of these men can be regarded as a variant of one of the major functional psychoses, but for the purposes of predicting behaviour and management there may be advantages in treating it as a syndrome in a similar taxonomic category as that of morbid jealousy.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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