Forensic aspects of jealousy and delusional jealousy

The concept of jealousy as a psychopathological symptom has for long been neglected by psychiatric research. Especially the differentation between delusional and non-delusional jealousy can be difficult. In the angloamerican literature the term "Othello syndrome" is used to describe all forms of pathological jealousy. Clinical characteristics of pathological jealousy such as "checking" are described. Psychotic jealousy is comparatively frequent in alcoholism, dementia, paranoid disorders and schizophrenia.