The doctor's wife: mental illness and marital pattern

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Clinical observations suggest physicians' wives are overrepresented as psychiatric patients.
• Severe marital problems and specific relationship patterns are frequently noted in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically validate the clinical impressions regarding marital problems and relationship patterns among physicians' wives.
• To investigate the psychiatric diagnoses and personal histories of physicians' wives admitted to psychiatric care.

Main Methods:

• A random sample of twenty physicians' wives, who were in-patients between 1969 and 1973, was selected.
• Patient records were reviewed for personal data, psychiatric history, diagnoses, personality traits, and marital relationship information.
• Husbands of the selected patients were interviewed.

Main Results:

• Ninety percent of patients received a primary diagnosis of depressive neurosis.
• Ninety-five percent had a secondary diagnosis of personality disorder (hysterical or passive-aggressive).
• High rates of suicidal ideation/attempts (90%), drug/alcohol abuse (55%), and ward management issues were observed.
• A common marital dynamic identified was a dependent, histrionic wife and an emotionally detached husband.
• Cases were complex, severe, long-standing, and treatment-resistant.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms significant psychiatric morbidity and marital distress among physicians' wives.
• The identified marital pattern suggests a need for targeted therapeutic interventions for both the patient and the couple.
• Early detection and intervention strategies for physicians and physician-marriages at risk are warranted.