Litigious Paranoia: A Historical Overview with a Case Report

ABSTRACT

Litigious paranoia is a mental disorder that includes morbid litigants who are in overwhelming pursuit of justice for a perceived legal wrong. There is substantial socio-occupational dysfunction in these individuals over years. This pathological fixation can result in marked aggression. However, no separate nosological status has been given to this type of mental disorder. Moreover, the close interface between law and psychiatry also limits the actual understanding of the psychopathology of litigants. This consequentially limits the scope of early intervention and increases the risk of harm to one’s own self and to others. The forensic psychiatrist therefore works toward identification of fixation, which can be due to underlying obsession, delusion, or overvalued belief. We present a historical overview of litigant paranoia with a case report. The report highlights the need for in-depth evaluation of mental state of morbid litigants by mental health professionals in order to ascertain the underlying psychopathology and initiate early treatment intervention.

KEYWORDS:

• Litigant paranoia
• delusional disorder
• morbid litigant
• extreme overvalued belief

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the patient’s cooperation and consent to participate in the study. A written consent has been obtained from the patient.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).