Burning blind jealousy? watch out, you may experience this mental disorder

Jealousy is a sign of love, they say. Jealousy within reasonable limits can make a relationship more lasting. But be careful if you play accusations for no apparent reason - "Where did you hang out with that girl ?!", even though it turns out that she is your partner's cousin who has just visited after a long time. Burning blind jealousy can be a sign of a mental disorder known as Othello syndrome.

Burning with jealousy is natural, but…

Just like happy, angry, sad, and disappointed, jealousy is a natural human emotion. Jealousy is an instinct triggered by increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that creates pleasure. However, this area of ​​the brain is also associated with exclusion and a sense of betrayal.

Jealousy is a sign that you appreciate the commitment that you both made previously, so you will feel disappointed if that commitment is broken. The jealousy you experience is also an expression that you care and want your relationship with your partner to last. Jealousy causes spikes in the levels of the hormones testosterone and cortisol, which triggers the desire for you to stick with your partner whenever jealousy hits. This is also reinforced by the increased activity of the lateral septum, the part of the brain that plays a role in controlling emotions and bonding with partners.

So, jealousy is an alarm whose job it is to remind you that a love affair must always be nurtured and maintained, not just let it go. However, jealousy can be said to be healthy when you are still able to think logically, not to dramatize the problem so that it continues to drag on and get bigger. Healthy jealousy is when you are able to calm down and start talking about the problem to your partner well without being emotionally blinded.

If jealousy makes you obsessive and exhibits possessive behavior, watch out. This could be a sign of blind jealousy which is completely unhealthy.

Blind jealousy can be a sign of Othello syndrome

Excessive jealousy can be a sign that you have a mental disorder called Othello syndrome. The name of this syndrome is adapted from one of Shakespeare's famous characters, Othello, a war soldier who burns with jealousy after being influenced and manipulated by his fellow soldiers regarding his wife's infidelity. In the end, Othello killed his own wife, even though she actually didn't do the things she was accused of.

Othello syndrome is a delusional psychiatric disorder. Delusions occur when the brain perceives or processes something that is not actually happening. That is, someone who is delusional cannot distinguish between reality and imagination, so he believes and behaves in accordance with what he believes (which is actually very contrary to the actual situation). A person who has Othello syndrome so strongly believes that his partner is cheating on him that he constantly harbored feelings of excessive and unnatural jealousy.

They will also continue to try to justify or prove that their partner is unfaithful. An example is always checking your partner's cellphone gallery, checking sms and chat, answering every incoming call, curious -in Facebook and email, always asking for his location and what he does every 5 minutes, until he secretly follows his partner wherever he goes (stalking) - to get evidence that his partner is unfaithful, even though there is actually no odd change in himself partner.

It is not impossible that the tendency to burn blind jealousy due to Othello syndrome then results in acts of violence or crime, such as suicide or murder, either to their spouse or to other parties who are considered to be interfering with their relationship with their partner.

Othello syndrome affects more men, who have neurological disorders

Othello syndrome is actually rare, but mostly affects men in their 40s. A study also found that around 69.5% of people with Othello syndrome have a neurological disorder that underlies their behavior.

Some of the neurological diseases that are often associated with Othello syndrome are stroke, head trauma, brain tumors, neurodegenerative diseases (deterioration of nerve functions), brain infections, to the effects of using illegal drugs, especially those containing dopamine.

The brain disorder that usually occurs in Othello syndrome originates in the forebrain, which largely regulates social behavior, problem solving, and motor function or regulates movement.

However, this does not mean that healthy people who do not fit the above characteristics cannot develop Othello Syndrome.