Folie à famille: a family therapist's perspective

Over the last century there have been reports in the psychiatric journals of an unusual disorder, folie à famille, yet the syndrome has been neglected by family theorists. In this paper the literature on delusions shared by families is examined from the perspective of a family therapist. The role the disorder plays in defining the continuum of functional/dysfunctional shared familial beliefs is described, and a case example demonstrating that folie à famille may be underreported is presented.