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Folie à deux, meaning "madness of two," refers to a shared psychotic disorder. This condition involves two or more individuals experiencing identical delusions, and while we won't delve into complex medical terms, it's a fascinating psychological occurrence worth exploring.
Typically, folie à deux arises among individuals with close relationships, such as family members or spouses. It often affects those who live together or are socially isolated, though exceptions exist. The disorder highlights the powerful influence of interpersonal connections on mental health.
In some instances, those affected by folie à deux remain harmless, with their delusions impacting only themselves. However, there are cases where individuals have committed serious crimes, including violence or murder, driven by their shared irrational beliefs.
This psychological phenomenon, though seemingly unbelievable to most, has been documented numerous times. It serves as a striking example of how shared delusions can shape behavior and outcomes in extraordinary ways.
10. ‘Margaret And Michael’
During the 19th century, the earliest documented instance of folie à deux featured a married pair named “Margaret and Michael,” both aged 34. They jointly believed that individuals they knew were targeting them with persecution.
The couple was convinced that these unidentified persecutors were breaking into their home, scattering dust and lint, and damaging their footwear.
While the true identities of Margaret and Michael remain a mystery, their significance lies not in their peculiar concerns about lint and shoes but in being the first recorded case of folie à deux.
9. Folie à Trois: Three Sisters From South Carolina
In certain legal cases, folie à deux, trois, or famille is employed as a defense strategy to reduce the perceived culpability of the defendant(s). For three sisters from South Carolina, a diagnosis of folie à trois resulted in successful insanity pleas during their trials for multiple criminal offenses.
As adults, the sisters' lives became deeply intertwined, despite having previously lived normal, respectable lives. Their constant isolation from others led to growing fears that their mentally ill mother intended to harm the children of one sister.
Their fixation on religion intensified, leading to sleepless nights and a belief that God was directly speaking to them. When one sister’s husband ended their cohabitation, the women dressed in pajamas, took the children, and drove to a house they believed was divinely provided for their shared residence.
Upon arrival, they broke into the home, assaulting both the occupants and the responding police officers.
The sisters faced numerous charges and were placed in a shared cell. Inside, they stripped off their clothing, neglected personal hygiene, and engaged in religious ceremonies. They assaulted anyone who entered the cell, requiring 15 officers and two hours to subdue and handcuff them.
Prior to this incident, none of the sisters had any criminal history. As a result of their actions, they are now prohibited from living near each other or meeting without supervision.
8. Folie à Deux With A Pet
A case documented in Volume 149 of the American Journal of Psychiatry describes a shared delusion between an 83-year-old widow and her dog.
The woman became convinced that her upstairs neighbor was rearranging furniture to intentionally disturb her. Over time, she grew certain that he was attempting to drive her out of her home.
She was convinced that her neighbor was targeting her and her pet with “violet rays,” prompting her to construct an “air raid shelter” beneath the kitchen table for the dog. At the slightest noise from upstairs, the dog would immediately retreat to its designated hiding spot.
Whether this was a genuine case of folie à deux or simply the dog responding to its owner’s cues remains debatable. Regardless, the dog actively participated in the shared delusion.
7. Folie à Deux, Religion, Demons, And Murder
Mr. and Mrs. A, both isolated young adults, found each other, fell in love, and married. While it seemed like a perfect union between a woman who communicated with the sea and sky and a man diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at age eight, their relationship ended in tragedy and separation.
After meeting through a personal ad, Mr. and Mrs. A married within a week. They both became convinced that one of the “demons” speaking through Mr. A was the same “god of the sea” Mrs. A had conversed with in her childhood. It seemed like a destined connection, but it was far from perfect.
No.
For years, the couple wandered from place to place, seeking employment and heeding the commands of Mr. A’s inner demons. One of these entities warned Mr. A of his impending death and Mrs. A’s imminent assault. In response, the couple purchased a firearm.
One evening, while dining at a restaurant, Mr. and Mrs. A became convinced that two male patrons were mocking them. Distressed, they returned to their apartment, only to be instructed by the demons to go back and kill the diners. They obeyed, rushing back and fatally shooting the two strangers.
Mr. and Mrs. A are no longer married.
6. Nathan Leopold And Richard Loeb
In 1924, the nation was shocked by the shared delusion of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two ruthless teenage boys.
Leopold and Loeb were in a romantic relationship, with Loeb being the more dominant figure. His influence over Leopold, who adopted Loeb’s distorted worldview, exemplifies folie imposée, where a submissive partner adopts the delusions of a dominant individual.
Leopold was a prodigy with an IQ surpassing Einstein’s. As an intellectual standout, a generally disagreeable person, and a social outcast who considered himself superior, Leopold believed he was exempt from the societal norms that applied to everyone else.
Loeb, equally brilliant, was the youngest of his era to earn a degree from the University of Michigan. Leopold, who lacked charm, elegance, and social acceptance, found these qualities in Loeb. Their relationship remained hidden due to the stigma surrounding homosexuality at the time.
The duo developed a deep fascination with detective stories and real-life criminal cases, leading them to initiate a series of unlawful acts guided by Loeb. Their activities included arson and burglary, with a peculiar pact to engage in intimate relations following each illegal deed.
Subsequently, they deceived 14-year-old Bobby Franks into entering their leased vehicle, where they brutally assaulted and asphyxiated the frightened adolescent. Leopold and Loeb fabricated a kidnapping scenario to obscure their involvement. However, their meticulously planned 'flawless crime' was swiftly unraveled, landing them in a courtroom where they behaved with the flamboyance of stars at a high-profile gala.
Loeb met his demise while incarcerated, passing away in the embrace of his beloved partner, Leopold.
5. Christine And Lea Papin
Christine and Lea Papin, French siblings, were employed as domestic servants in the household of Rene Lancelin, his spouse Leonie, and their grown daughter Genevieve.
The Papin siblings emerged from a troubled and violent upbringing. Their father had assaulted their older sister, leading to all three girls being placed with different families during their childhood. Later, they were moved to orphanages and convents.
Living together in a shared room and cut off from social interactions, the sisters remained reserved and docile. At ages 27 and 21, Christine and the more passive Lea became infamous in psychological records.
During a heated dispute with Leonie Lancelin, Christine transformed from a dutiful cook into a violent aggressor. She brutally removed Genevieve Lancelin’s eyes using only her hands. Lea, joining the frenzy, did the same to Madame Lancelin. Together, they viciously killed the mother and daughter, arranging their bodies in a manner suggesting a sexual motive.
Upon returning home with his son-in-law, Rene Lancelin found himself locked out and contacted the police. Inside, officers discovered the mutilated bodies of the women scattered across the floor. Concerned for the maids' safety, they were stunned to find Christine and Lea confined in their room, reportedly undressed and lying together in bed.
The sisters admitted to their crimes and were subsequently arrested.
In the ensuing years, the sisters were isolated and subjected to extensive psychological analysis. Christine, in particular, experienced severe emotional turmoil due to the separation. During their rare meetings, there were hints of a romantic relationship between them. However, despite widespread speculation, no concrete evidence of a sexual relationship was ever established, and their physicians refuted such claims.
Their defense lawyer argued that their identities had become so intertwined that Lea's submissive personality had effectively vanished, leaving both sisters to share the paranoid delusions characteristic of folie à deux.
4. Pauline Parker And Juliet Hulme
Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, both 15, were students from Christchurch, New Zealand.
Their bond was intensely close, marked by an obsessive attachment to one another. They indulged in intricate fantasies and shared aspirations of becoming Hollywood stars and acclaimed authors.
Concerned about their unhealthy codependency, their parents sought to distance them, particularly after Pauline’s psychiatrist suggested she was romantically involved with Juliet. Juliet, however, has since refuted these allegations.
As Juliet’s parents divorced, plans were made to separate the girls. Juliet was to relocate with her father, and both girls hoped Pauline could join them. However, all parents opposed the idea.
In 1954, during an outing organized by Pauline’s mother, Honora, the girls carried out a vicious attack, resulting in her tragic death.
The insanity defense was unsuccessful. After serving a short prison sentence, the women adopted new identities and relocated to the UK separately. Juliet Hulme transformed into Anne Perry, a renowned crime novelist, while Pauline Parker became Hilary Nathan, a teacher specializing in equestrian skills.
The 1994 film Heavenly Creatures dramatizes the girls' relationship and the killing of Honora Reiper. Anne Perry has dismissed the movie as fictional and asserted that her involvement in the murder was to prevent Pauline Parker from taking her own life if they were forced apart.
3. Ursula And Sabina Eriksson
Swedish twins Ursula and Sabina Eriksson gained global notoriety for what has been dubbed the 'Weirdest Thing The Author Has Ever Seen On The Internet.'
In 2008, Ursula was living in the US, while Sabina was in Ireland with her husband and two children. That May, Ursula visited Sabina, and the two abruptly traveled to England, leaving Sabina’s children behind. They later visited a police station, where Sabina expressed concerns about her children.
They then boarded a bus to London but were removed for behaving erratically and refusing to allow their bags to be inspected. Left at a service station, they were reported to the police under suspicion of carrying explosives. No bombs were found, and they were released.
This is where the situation takes a bizarre turn.
The twins were spotted walking along the M6 motorway, where a crew from the TV show Motorway Cops was filming. The crew observed the women weaving through traffic.
As police approached the women, Ursula suddenly dashed into the road and was struck by a truck. While she was being treated, Sabina sprinted onto the motorway and was hit by a car.
Ursula attempted to stand, claiming the officers were imposters, and attacked them. Sabina, after getting up, fled and also assaulted an officer, shouting accusations about organ theft before being apprehended. With assistance from bystanders, both sisters were loaded into an ambulance, requiring six people to restrain Sabina.
Ursula, with her legs severely injured, stayed hospitalized. Sabina, however, was detained by the police. Investigations revealed the sisters had several cell phones in their bags, and Sabina’s husband was unaware of her whereabouts.
After being released from custody, Sabina was offered shelter by Glenn Hollinshead, a man she had recently met. Her behavior remained erratic, discussing poisoned cigarettes with him and a guest. The following morning, she fatally stabbed Hollinshead.
Sabina then wandered away, striking her own head with a hammer. When a driver attempted to intervene, she attacked him with a roof tile she carried in her pocket.
Sabina fled further, leaping from a bridge onto the A50 highway, 12 meters (40 ft) below. The fall resulted in multiple fractures, eventually enabling her capture. Although sentenced to five years for murder, she was released in 2011 and returned to Ireland, while Ursula had already gone back to the US.
Individually, they appeared ordinary. Yet, together, they exhibited self-destructive and violent tendencies, embodying the phenomenon of folie à deux.
2. Folie A Famille: The Tromp Family
One of the most baffling instances of shared delusion involves the Tromp family.
In 2016, the Tromps, residents of Silvan in Victoria, Australia, abandoned their berry farm and embarked on a chaotic, inexplicable journey, sparking a widespread search for the missing family. Known as upstanding community members, their behavior was entirely uncharacteristic.
Mark and Jacoba Tromp, along with their adult children Riana, Ella, and Mitchell, hastily entered a vehicle and drove away from their home without explanation.
Mark Tromp was experiencing a severe mental crisis, and his family, influenced by his delusions of imminent danger, decided to flee. Convinced that escape was essential, they abandoned all possessions—phones, wallets, and passports. Their home was left unlocked, and their farm vehicles were left with keys in the ignitions, ready for use.
The family scattered in panic during their journey. On the second day of their trip to New South Wales, the siblings abandoned the car, fearing an uncertain fate. Mitchell parted ways in Bathurst, traveling to Sydney and then returning to Melbourne by train. Ella and Riana also separated, with Riana heading to Goulburn.
Riana was later found in a catatonic state, concealed in the back of a pickup truck, and received medical care. Ella stole a car and drove home. Jacoba was discovered wandering in Yass and hospitalized, while Mark was found near Wangaratta, still evading imaginary pursuers.
The family, once close-knit and loving, has since returned home. They are rebuilding their lives on the farm and recovering from the ordeal. Thankfully, no physical harm occurred, and they have sought medical and psychological support.
1. Morgan Geyser And Anissa Weier
Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, both aged 12, were even younger than Parker and Hulme when they conspired to commit a murder.
Weier and Geyser, the latter diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychotic spectrum disorder, attacked their classmate Payton Leutner, intending her as a sacrifice to the fictional horror figure Slender Man.
Weier had recently become Geyser’s closest friend, while Geyser was also best friends with the victim. The three girls, considered outsiders, were celebrating Geyser’s birthday at a sleepover when the plan to kill Leutner was set into motion. Weier and Geyser stabbed Leutner in a park and left her in the woods to die.
The two girls were apprehended by police while heading to the Nicolet National Forest, where they believed Slender Man would welcome them into his home after they fulfilled his demand for a sacrifice by killing Leutner.
Unaware that Leutner had survived, the girls continued with their plan.
Slender Man, depicted as a tall, faceless figure in a suit who abducts children, was the focus of Geyser and Weier’s obsession. To prove his existence, they enticed their classmate into the forest. Geyser restrained Leutner while Weier stabbed her, believing this act would grant them entry into Slender Man’s mansion.
Despite being left to die, Leutner crawled out of the woods, severely wounded. A cyclist discovered her and summoned emergency assistance.
Both Geyser and Weier were deemed not guilty due to mental illness. They were committed to a psychiatric facility, with Geyser receiving a 40-year sentence and Weier 25 years.
