Is Woman's Engagement to a Chandelier Harmful?
The Doctors discuss the case of a British woman who got engaged and married a 90-year-old chandelier. They discuss whether this could be a mental health issue.
The woman purchased the chandelier online, named it Lumiere, after the character in "Beauty and The Beast." In addition to Lumiere, the woman says she owns 24 other chandeliers and says she has been in relationships with other inanimate objects including a drum kit and The Statue of Liberty, which she visited 6 times.
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Clinical psychologist Dr. Judy Ho explains this appears to be a case of objectophilia, where people feel a deep and romantic attachment to objects. She says that often people with objectophilia believe that the objects have reciprocal feelings and possess personalities and intelligence.
"I know a lot of you are thinking, is this a mental illness?" Dr. Judy says, explaining the very early research on objectophilia says that it is not. She says it is not tied to things like childhood sexual trauma. She says when something is diagnosed as a mental illness it either causes the person distress, negatively impacts their life in multiple ways or impinges on another person. She adds, "It's harmless."
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Dr. Judy does express concern about those with objectophilia who have trouble connecting with other people.
ER physician Dr. Travis Stork adds, "If she's in love and it's not hurting anyone else, good for her... and Lumiere."
