ABSTRACT
CASE 9.1 – Intramarital violence associated with jealousy A general practitioner (GP) asks you to see a 52-year-old man. The patient’s wife initially contacted the GP because over the past year or so he has gradually become increasingly possessive and jealous. Recently he has begun to accuse her of being unfaithful to him. She says that he never used to be like this, although on very careful enquiry it appears that there have been times in the past when he has been somewhat jealous, although never to this degree. As a result of this jealousy their relationship has steadily deteriorated. Four days ago the man hit his wife during an argument in which he accused her of having an affair. He did not injure her severely, but she is beginning to feel that the only solution is to leave him. He has continued to function reasonably well at work as far as she knows. According to the GP, the man has an erratic employment history and has always been a difficult person. He often tends to take things the wrong way, thinking people are insulting him or making things difficult for him. In fact, he now refuses to see any of the other GPs in the practice because he thinks each one has caused him some problem in the past.
