Morbid jealousy / is my spouse cheating on me?
Sometimes, we all wonder that our spouse may be cheating on us at some point in our life. These are fleeting thoughts and these thoughts goes away when we rationalize ourselves and this thoughts rapidly withers away.. However many do cheat on their partner and tend to keep it secret and develop certain behavior to avoid being known by the other partner. We are not discussing about this here as you might understand that morbid jealousy is something else. So let’s understand it.
Morbid Jealousy also called “Othello’s syndrome”, is more than a simple jealousy and here the person suffering from this will always be worried and may be accusing the other partner of having relationship with others without any substance or evidence*. These person may be watching or looking for signs to accuse their partner of having relationship with others and their behavior will be around that most of the time leaving behind more important works and care.
The Jealousy seems more obsessional in nature and their behaviors are consistent towards the partner and this may lead to frequent fights between them.
Some of the behavior expressed noted in people suffering from morbid jealousy are
1) Checking for Phone messages for any livid content or any content which he or she can implicate others for their imaginary relationship.
2) Checking dresses daily after returning from work for example checking any signs of lipsticks, scent, calling the spouse frequently for to check their position, or calling office to ask where the spouse is there etc.
3) Accusing the spouse of relationship even in circumstances which are difficult for a normal person to comprehend for example like talking with shopping representative of opposite sex while shopping or talking with the vendors etc.
4) Frequently getting into quarrel with other family members when challenged about their thoughts.
5) Restricting the movement of the spouse due to their jealousy.
6) This behavior continues in spite of moving out from one relationship to other.
7) They deny this behavior when challenged by others (incl. family members) or accuse them of involving in a plot against them.
What is going on the mind of the person with Morbid jealousy?
Its been noted in these group of people they usually suffer from poor self-esteem and are over sensitive. They poorly judge themselves and feel vulnerable and this complex mix of thoughts gradually leads them to think that the other partner may be looking for or may be having an relationship with other due to their vulnerability. They might also be suffering from depression which makes them feel inferior and hence development of morbid jealousy, or sometimes it may be signs of schizophrenia and it is common in people with Alcohol dependency (alcoholism) to develop this syndrome. Sometimes past experience of deceit or similar experience in a family may have over-sensitized them in developing this syndrome.
You might additionally notice these individuals are very preoccupied with this intrusive thoughts about their partners having an affairs, even though they feel it may be wrong. Sometimes they may become severely anxious and may be suicidal as they might find difficulty to control their thoughts. They might become aggressive and in rare instance they may have become homicidal towards their partners. They might also have become aggressive towards third parties who may never been involved but may be accused of involving in this imaginary relationship.
You might additionally notice these individuals are very preoccupied with this intrusive thoughts about their partners having an affairs, even though they feel it may be wrong. Sometimes they may become severely anxious and may be suicidal as they might find difficulty to control their thoughts. They might become aggressive and in rare instance they may have become homicidal towards their partners. They might also have become aggressive towards third parties who may never been involved but may be accused of involving in this imaginary relationship.
Treatment of morbid jealousy:
We have to understand morbid jealousy is not a disorder but a symptoms of many psychiatric disorders. Depending on the symptoms and the nature of psychiatric disorder the treatment is tailored to individual needs and symptoms.
If the morbid jealousy is profound and some amount of aggression is involved then the Doctor/therapist may advise to get hospitalized to reduce and also to break free from the constant stress. They might advise medications to certain underlying illness such as schizophrenia and depression. For other they might offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to reduce the obsessive thoughts and look for triggers and advices them techniques to control their anger and anxiety. They might also look into the irrational thoughts and advise them or suggest them to change or replace certain irrational thoughts and ideas.
Overall this is a treatable condition but needs constant monitoring. These people revert back to original thinking if not regularly reviewed and the medication or the therapy been stopped.
If the morbid jealousy is profound and some amount of aggression is involved then the Doctor/therapist may advise to get hospitalized to reduce and also to break free from the constant stress. They might advise medications to certain underlying illness such as schizophrenia and depression. For other they might offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to reduce the obsessive thoughts and look for triggers and advices them techniques to control their anger and anxiety. They might also look into the irrational thoughts and advise them or suggest them to change or replace certain irrational thoughts and ideas.
Overall this is a treatable condition but needs constant monitoring. These people revert back to original thinking if not regularly reviewed and the medication or the therapy been stopped.
For more information and to consult one of our doctors
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