Folie À Deux – A Case Report

Abstract

Folie à deux is a relatively rare mental disorder first described in France in 1877 by Laségue and Falret. However, folie á deux is still a matter of study and debate today as it remains a challenge for psychiatrists. The aim of our work is to report a clinical case of folie á deux, subtype A of Gralnick, between an inducer daughter and an induced mother who lived quite socially isolated and had a strong and close relationship. In the clinical case presented, folie á deux was easily diagnosed but its treatment proved to be a higher challenge. The main diagnosis of the inducer patient was also quite interesting.Many years after it was first described, folie á deux is still an interesting and challenging disorder to psychiatrists, specially concerning its pathophysiology and treatment.

Shared psychotic disorder

“…Presently it is represented in both the DSM‐5 (as shared psychotic disorder) and in the ICD‐11 (as induced delusional disorder). Despite this, it is still something of a rarity to see clinically, but this may not accurately reflect the prevalence among the general public as individuals often evade coming into contact with services as relatively sufficient levels of functioning are often maintained 2 …”

“…Despite this, it is still something of a rarity to see clinically, but this may not accurately reflect the prevalence among the general public as individuals often evade coming into contact with services as relatively sufficient levels of functioning are often maintained. 2 Gralnick described four subtypes of folie à deux, as detailed in Table 1. 3 Shared delusions can exist in varying forms:…”