Citation

Fernández I, Toy-Riont S, Vedie C. Ann. Med. Psychol. (Paris) 2016; 174(6): 481-484.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Societe Medico-Psychologique, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.amp.2016.04.006

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

While awaiting surgery after cutting his wrists with suicidal intent, Mr A. killed his mother, acting on command hallucinations. Experienced as an intrusion and interruption in the subject's life, via transfer he often evokes a discontinuation of his thought process to the medical team. "Altruistic homicide", "pathological crime", delirious melancholy as well as schizophrenia are alternately evoked. Several questions surface: how to avoid conflicts of loyalty between justice and psychiatry? How to address the question of subjectivity in such a staggering act? How to offer care which is not reduced to the moral question of the crime nor the banalization of the act? From this case of matricide, we will question the heuristic value of the diagnostic, therapeutic and ethical questions as far as they assure thinking the unthinkable. © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS.

Language: fr

Keywords

crime; human; Homicide; homicide; Ethics; morality; psychiatry; Psychosis; schizophrenia; suicide attempt; Diagnosis; patient care; hallucination; melancholia; mental patient; justice; thought disorder; Article; matricide; Justice; Parricide; Clinical case; Medical team