[Male erotomania: a type of dangerous sexual harassment].

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of our study is to examine male erotomania and its consequences for women who are victims of it.

METHOD: We studied the clinical characteristics of erotomaniacal men and the physical and psychic consequences to women who were their victims.

RESULTS

The men we met have a severe paranoid thought disorder which combines jealousy, projection and interpretation. Their behaviour is characterized by escalating violence in their involvement with women by whom they believe they are loved. During their contacts with the erotomaniac, the victims develop adjustment disorders and anxiety.

CONCLUSION

Our study leads us to conclude that erotomaniacs and their victims have symptoms and a clinical evolution identical to those found in harassing and violent ex-spouses. The positive response of some erotomaniacs to antipsychotic medication raises a therapeutic prospect for other violent men with the same thought disorders.