Reverse Othello Syndrome Subsequent to Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Delusional syndromes that occur following head injury are frequently ascribed directly to the consequences of organic insult and seen as empty of psychological significance. The presence of an organic factor, however, does not necessarily indicate that delusional ideation is a direct product of that factor. In this article a detailed report is given of Reverse Othello syndrome (a delusional belief in the fidelity of a romantic partner) appearing in a 49-year-old male following extremely severe traumatic brain injury. This case report highlights the interaction and interpenetration of a complex array of biological, psychological, and social factors in the crystallization of a delusion system. It is argued, following Jaspers, that the emergence of erotically themed delusions following trauma may represent an active attempt to regain intrapsychic coherence and to confer meaning on otherwise catastrophic loss or emptiness.