Edgar Paltzer is a Swiss-based lawyer who specialises in advising clients on the legal complexities of wealth structuring. This article will look at ‘Succession syndrome’, a rising problem in high-net-worth households according to psychiatrists.
As the HBO drama Succession drew to a close in May 2023, one of the world’s leading addiction treatment centres warned of a prevalence of ‘succession syndrome’, with successful, wealthy households creating a deep-rooted fear of failure and weakness in children.
With centres in London and Zurich, Paracelsus Recovery provides medical help, counselling and therapy for up to £107,000 a week. The company said that around 40% of its patients were struggling with succession syndrome, a term used to describe a range of addictions and mental health problems affecting children from extremely affluent backgrounds.
The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning series Succession follows the story of billionaire patriarch Logan Roy and his children. It has been lauded by critics and hailed as one of the best television series of all time. The drama’s themes include battles between the protagonist’s power-hungry children, each vying for control over their father’s media empire, following the theme of dynastic struggles over power and wealth that have fuelled fiction from time immemorial.
Nevertheless, experts warn that problems highlighted by Succession are very real. Paracelsus Recovery founder and CEO Jan Gerber said that the company sees many children of affluent families suffering mental health and addiction problems. Having coined the term ‘Succession syndrome’, Paracelsus reports that alcohol consumption is around 27% more prevalent in children from wealthy families, who also face a higher risk of developing narcissistic personality disorder.
Jan Gerber said that the success of Succession highlighted the complicated and potentially damaging impact of coming from an extremely successful family, pointing out that the Roy children were all very damaged individuals, with Kendall, Roman and Shiv’s characters displaying erratic transitions between vulnerable and grandiose narcissism.
To try to identify and understand the origins and impacts of these conflicts, Paracelsus Recovery proposed a correlation between early attachment disruption and narcissistic personality characteristics. In addition, studies also suggest that when an individual’s income increases they are prone to becoming less empathetic and more morally dubious.
The Paracelsus Centre suggests that some children from affluent families are reared in homes where they experience isolation, constant pressure and an attitude of superiority. Although the condition affects a relatively narrow section of society, these children can go on to wield positions of great power and authority themselves, potentially employing thousands of people. It is for this reason that Jan Gerber asserts ‘we all have an interest in their mental wellbeing’.
