The Othello Syndrome: When Jealousy Delusions Ruin a Relationship

Does your partner check all the messages you send? Are you not allowed to maintain contact with people of the gender you are attracted to? And can’t you leave the house without being bombarded with apps and phone calls? Then you can safely say that you have a jealous partner .

Some people believe that a little jealousy is healthy, but everyone agrees that it is not the greatest trait. Jealousy is therefore also called the green monster; a common reason why relationships fail prematurely.

And while an unhealthy form of jealousy never strengthens a relationship, it can be worse. This pathological jealousy is called jealousy delusion , also known as Othello syndrome . It is the most severe form of jealous behavior that blurs the line between love and psychosis.

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What is Othello Syndrome?

Othello syndrome is a relatively rare delusional disorder with a dangerous character. It is also known as pathological jealousy. If you have this, you are constantly thinking that your partner is cheating. You repeatedly accuse your partner of cheating because you think you have proof of it. 

In reality, the evidence is meaningless, minimal, or there is no evidence at all. But you don’t realize this yourself, because you substantiate your own story with even more normal or everyday events that support your claims. You consider your own thoughts as truth, but it is only the delusion you live in. And all thanks to a condition called Othello syndrome.

It is more common in men

Othello syndrome was first diagnosed by Dr. John Todd, a British psychiatrist, in the 1950s. It can occur spontaneously, or in combination with other mental illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia), or as a side effect of medications or brain trauma. Males and females account for approximately 60% and 40% of cases, respectively. 

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Where does the name come from?

The Othello syndrome is named after the main character in the play ‘The Tragedy of Othello’, written by Shakespeare in 1604. In this tragedy full of jealousy, ambition and revenge, General Othello is married to the beautiful Desdemona, but there are more pirates on the coast. They want Desdemona for themselves or to get a promotion in the army. ³

One of these people, Iago, devises an ingenious plan to bring down Othello while promising Desdemona to someone else. Iago gives Othello the impression that Desdemona is secretly having an affair . Othello, in turn, becomes increasingly suspicious that she is having an affair with one of his lieutenants. Iago continues to subtly point out the signs to him, thus ensuring that the beginnings of suspicion are aroused.

Desdemona, as innocent as can be, is confronted with Othello’s pathological jealousy. In Othello, a struggle rages between his love for her and his sense of honor; it drives him to despair. When Othello meets Desdemona, he testifies his love for her one more time, after which he kills her in jealous rage. And it is at that moment that he discovers that she has never been unfaithful; he commits suicide.

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Symptoms and characteristics

People who suffer from it are a danger; to the potential victim, but also to themselves. Unlike other delusional disorders, people who suffer from this condition have a strong tendency to stalk , cyberstalk , sabotage and even use violence. It also often ends in murder or suicide. Here are some symptoms if you suffer from Othello syndrome:

• You accuse your partner of looking or paying attention to others.
• You question your partner’s behavior.
• You question your partner about unknown telephone numbers and conversations.
• Interrogation of telephone calls, including wrong numbers or accidental telephone calls and all other forms of communication.
• You keep asking who your partner is with and where.
• You don’t allow your partner to have social media accounts.
• You isolate your partner from friends and family.
• You examine all your partner’s belongings.
• Your partner is not allowed to meet others.
• You accuse your partner of cheating.
• You use verbal or physical violence against your partner, the person you consider a rival, or both.
• You blame your partner for your jealous behavior.
• You deny that you are very jealous.
• You threaten to harm yourself or others.

If you recognize the above in your partner, then you should be careful. These are the signs that tell you that your partner is unhealthy jealous and possibly even has the Othello syndrome. But fortunately it is not very common. About 10% of people have a “possessive” personality style and a third of them show a form of pathological jealousy, although this varies in strength from person to person. But, to make it more difficult to recognize, people who have a severe form of pathological jealousy rarely admit it

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