Pathological jealousy appearing after cerebrovascular infarction in a 25-year-old woman.
OBJECTIVE
To report pathological jealousy (Othello syndrome) occurring in a young woman with a right hemisphere cerebrovascular infarction and to review diagnosis and possible organic mechanisms for the generation of this syndrome.


METHODS
A 20-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with a right hemisphere stroke associated with a history of severe migraine and the use of oral contraceptives. The patient made a good recovery with minimal neurological deficits but 5 years later developed the syndrome of morbid jealousy with depression and a near fatal overdose.


RESULTS
Morbid jealousy subsided, almost completely disappearing over a 6-week period of treatment with a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI).


CONCLUSIONS
Case reports of the Othello syndrome and other content specific delusions following right hemisphere cerebrovascular infarction have appeared in geriatric psychiatry literature. The occurrence of a similar association in a young patient lends support to the suggestion of a causal relationship and has implications for diagnosis, clinical care and research.
Westlake
R J
RJ
Brown University, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, USA. Robert_Westlake@Brown.edu
Weeks
S M
SM
D000328:Adult; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007578:Jealousy; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors