This report describes a case of folie à famille in which an African man (Mr X), his wife and three daughters travelled around the world as Mr X transmitted his persecutory delusions to his family members. Mr X who had previously had two brief admissions in the UK and in Ireland, received an adequate trial of antipsychotic treatment in his third admission with us in Dublin. During informal contact with his daughter B, it became apparent that the whole family shared his delusions. On her advice, the other family members voluntarily consented for assessment and psychological interventions, they were interviewed separately. All the family members recovered following separation and psychological interventions without antipsychotic treatment . This case illustrates folie imposée, one of the four subgroups summarised by Gralnick from the 20th century literature. This family undertook an extreme measure of travelling around the world because of their induced delusions.

Shared paranoid disorder Folie imposée Induced delusional disorder Folie à famille

symptomatology paranoid schizophrenia christian human social isolation delusional disorder shared psychotic disorder travel South Africa mental disease male case report female religious group Article adult migration induced delusional disorder United Kingdom delusion