http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Shared-psychotic-disorder.html

Definition

Shared psychotic disorder, a rare and atypical psychotic disorder,
occurs when an otherwise healthy person (secondary partner) begins
believing the delusions of someone with whom they have a close
relationship (primary partner)

EXAMPLE: PROFESSOR/PUPIL

who is already suffering from a psychotic disorder with prominent
delusions. This disorder is also referred to as "folie á deux."

Description

In cases of shared psychotic disorder, the primary partner is most
often in a position of strong influence over the other person.

TEACHER OVER STUDENT

This allows them, over time, to erode the defenses of the secondary
partner, forcing their strange belief upon them.

STRANGE BELIEF: A SYSTEM FORMALLY GENERATES THEOREMS BUT THERE ARE NO
EXAMPLES OF ANY THEOREMS THAT IT GENERATES

In the beginning, the secondary partner is probably healthy, but has
such a passive or dependent relationship with the primary partner

STUDENT HAS TO LEARN WHAT THE PROFESSOR TEACHES

that imposition of the delusional system is but a matter of time. Most
of the time, this disorder occurs in a nuclear family. In fact, more
than 95% of the cases reported involved people in the same family.

ASSOCIATED WITH THE SAME UNIVERSITY

Without regard to the number of persons within the family, shared
delusions generally involve two people. There is the primary, most
often the dominant person,

PROFESSOR

and the secondary or submissive person

STUDENT

. This becomes fertile ground for the primary (dominant) partner to
press for understanding and belief by others in the family.

EXAMPLE: A DISPLAY OF A PRINTOUT OF THEOREMS FROM A COMPUTER PROGRAM
HAS TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

Shared psychotic disorder has also been referred to by other names
such as psychosis of association, contagious insanity, infectious
insanity, double insanity, and communicated insanity.

NOTICE THAT ALL CONTAIN THE WORD "INSANITY"

There have been cases involving multiple persons, the most significant
being a case involving an entire family of 12 people (folie á douze).

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