A Rorschach Study in Folie à Deux of Mother and Son

Extract

Communicated mental illness or “folie à deux” in which the parent appears to have influenced the child is a frequently found disturbance in general practice and Child Guidance Clinics. The child is especially disposed to such a disturbance because he lives during the first years of his life in almost complete identification with the parents' psyche. In a healthy environment his growing consciousness will gradually resolve this identity, and thereby develop his ego and individuality. If, however, one or both parents suffer from mental illness this process is liable to be disturbed, and the child will remain fixated to the disordered psyche of the parent.