Olutoki Michael1,2*, Bassey Edet1,2, Yakasai Ba3, Joseph Okegbe2
Folie á famille is a form of shared psychotic disorder existing among family members; it is a condition in which symptoms of mental illness are transmitted from one individual to another in a family. Shared psychotic disorder is a rare type of mental illness in which a person with a stable mental state starts manifesting the symptoms of mental illness of someone that is mentally ill by the reason of close association with him or her.
The discovery of a family of five in Bekwara Local Government area of Cross River State of Nigeria, in which a forty four year old man with a ten years history of second person auditory hallucination, wandering, grandiose delusion and tangentiality, successfully transferred these symptoms to his thirty three year old wife and three of his children; a four year old, a three year old and a two year old respectively. Florid religious delusion was responsible for the nomadic attitude displayed by this family and was also a factor in the successful transmission of the illness from the father to the other four subjects. Lots of negative life events were also a factor in this family. Family, friends, societal, and national neglect suffered by this family of five poses a peculiar challenge to the successful management and rehabilitation of these patients.