Mayotte, The Epitome of Insular Syndrome

Abstract

As A Result of The Rupture and Confinement Effects Experienced Following Arrival on The Island, Some Individuals Studied, Despite Having Been Unaffected By Psychiatric Disorders In The Past, Go On To Develop Some Particular Psychiatric Symptoms. We Will Show How the Discovery of An Exotic Insular Psychic Space Can Lead to The Emergence of Different Clinical Syndromes. This Study Was Born from The Psychiatric Treatment of Expatriate Patients On The Island Of Mayotte, Using Psychodynamic Techniques And Methods. The Island Is Associated with Specific Symbolisms That Are Sources of Vulnerability: Separation, Lack of Space, Promiscuity, Discontinuity of The Human Bond, Paradoxical Temporality. Moreover, The Mental Representation of Such A Confined, Limited Space, Invested With An Ancient Imaginary, Is Influenced By Some Universal Myths. As An Object of Desire, The Island Is The Source Of Phantasmatic Projections, And One’s Arrival There In Reality Proves To Be Potentially Pathogenic And Can Reveal A Previously Dormant Psychic Precariousness.