Othello syndrome unveiled: when jealousy turns into a psychological plot twist

IOL News

7 hours ago

Debbi Wood and her husband Steven got married but the delusional jealousy she suffered from continued unabated.
Image: Facebook
We've all heard the saying, "Jealousy makes you nasty," but it can make you something far worse than that - you could be suffering from Othello syndrome (OS), a rare medical condition where you suspect your partner is cheating on you when there is no basis for it.
One such sufferer is Debbi Wood, a woman dubbed 'the UK's most jealous wife' for forcing her husband to take lie detector tests to make sure he wasn't cheating on her.
Wood, 43, from Leicestershire, appeared on Channel 5's 87 Stone: Fat Chance Of Work, where she spoke about the affliction where she would check her husband Steven's emails, phone, bank statements and even banned him from watching television in case he was allured by a woman on the screen.
Wood reportedly also struggled with bipolar and body dysmorphic disorders, but it was the disorder that gets its name from William Shakespeare's tragedy, "Othello", that caused all the trouble.
In the play, Othello, a respected military commander, is tricked by other characters into believing that his wife Desdemona is cheating on him, even though she is not. In the end, Othello tragically kills his wife and then kills himself.
Jealousy can spell disaster when it gets out of control.
Image: Marcus Winkler / Pexels
Othello syndrome, also known as morbid or delusional jealousy, is a mental health condition where a person has a powerful and irrational belief that their partner is cheating, despite a lack of evidence.
This belief is a delusion, meaning it is a false and fixed idea that is not based on reality. Individuals with Othello syndrome may exhibit controlling behaviours, verbal or physical aggression and even harm themselves or their partner.
It can occur as one type of psychosis with a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia but also result from alcohol and drug abuse or neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease or from suffering a stroke.
According to an article by Sebastian Ocklenburg, Ph.D., in "Psychology Today", much of the blame for the disorder can be associated with damage to the thalamus situated in the centre of the brain.
He said in a new study, published in the scientific journal Neurocase, which focuses on understanding the reasons for Othello syndrome, scientists Ghita Hjeij from the University of Casablanca in Morocco and the research team reported a neurological case study of a 50-year-old woman who had been in a happy marriage for more than 30 years.
That was until she had a stroke that damaged the thalamus which was detected by a scan. Two days after returning home following two weeks in hospital, out of the blue, the patient accused her husband of cheating with her sister, and later the daughter of a friend.
Her behaviour became erratic, she'd check her husband's phone, spy on him and wake him in the middle of the night to accuse him of cheating.
It got so bad that she attacked him with a knife on two occasions. Doctors were eventually able to help her with anti-psychotic medication.
Back to Debbi. She and Steven now spend a lot of time on their game consoles. She told "Daily Mail" that it helps her keep her mind off her illogical fixation that he's cheating.
"Spending so much time on the Xbox has helped me get some control over my jealousy. My mind has been able to focus elsewhere rather than obsessing over what my husband is doing," she said.
Mental health has become a key topic of conversation and is something not to be taken lightly, said Fatima Seedat from the South African Anxiety and Depression Group (Sadag).
If you suffer from Othello syndrome or know someone who is, there are many resources available for support. Organisations like FAMSA, Lovelife, Lifeline and Sadag are there to support you.
Sadag can be reached on 0800 21 22 23.