The psychosomatic approach in childhood disorders: some psychodynamic and psychotherapeutic issues

C.S. Ierodiakonou

Childhood is an age period during which psychosomatic disorders can be studied in more detail, "in statu nascenti". Irrespective of other aetiopathogenic issues, psychological factors play a significant role in predisposing, forming or/ and eliciting a psychosomatic disorder through a certain organ

Although the full pathological process for such a manifestation is not known for every condition, there is evidence of many psychosomatic symptoms in childhood showing the importance of psychodynamic interactions. Some of our studies and those of others show the importance of the mother’s personality in forming specific reactions by the child.

Many traits of the mother’s character are adopted by identification, and even symptom formation, like psychogenic headaches, overeating etc. Extreme suppression or neglect by the mother may bring the same result, like in encopresis. The psychodynamic interplay between mother and daughter may produce problems in sexual identity, e.g. in anorexia. The ab- The psychosomatic approach in childhood disorders: some psychodynamic and psychotherapeutic issues sence of the mother (we have studied in children of emigrated parents) may lead to a failure to thrive. Fixation at certain stages (e.g. oral in stuttering) and specific precipitating factors we found present in some studies of ours. Knowledge of particular mechanisms of defense (like regression in enuresis, aggression in vomiting) is imperative for one to be able to proceed and act psychotherapeutically.

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