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Shifts of Dependency in the Resolution of Folie à Deux

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Taylor L. Porter ,
John Levine  and
Michael Dinneen
Taylor L. Porter*
Affiliation:
Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, USA
John Levine
Affiliation:
Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, USA
Michael Dinneen
Affiliation:
Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, USA
*
∗Mental Health Department Building 1407, Naval Medical Clinic, Pearl Harbour, H17680-5080, USA
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Extract

We have presented a case of folie à deux in which the wife was the primary (dominant) partner and the husband the secondary (submissive) partner. The husband's symptoms seemed to have resolved as his dependency shifted from his wife back to his mother. Treatment is recommended by deliberately shifting dependencies only when there is advantage in doing so. For most patients, the aim should be independence.

Type
Brief Reports
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 162 , Issue 5 , May 1993 , pp. 704 - 706
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1993 

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Footnotes

The opinions and assertions in this paper are those of the authors and are not to be construed as reflecting the views of the US Department of the Navy.

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