Folie a deux versus genetically driven delusional disorder: case reports and nosological considerations
Section snippets
Case 1: B.N. and C.N
B.N. and C.N. were born 1958 as monozygotic twins as evidenced by molecular genetics. Their mother had no psychotic illness. The father died in the 1970s due to alcohol intoxication. He was reported to be extremely suspicious and paranoid, and seemed to suffer from acoustic hallucinations. Based on the available information, a working diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia can be assumed. The twins’ brother is mentally healthy.
Both twins completed high school without problems. During their early
Discussion
FD is a rare psychiatric condition that might cause diagnostic problems, especially if the partners are consanguineous19, 20: does the supposed secondary patient suffer indeed from a “transmitted” delusional belief or from an independent, endogenous psychosis? In the case of unrelated patients, a genetic connection can be ruled out; we will thus focus on related subjects. Two exemplary cases of psychotic couples have been presented, in which both participants shared similar psychopathology and
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