Self-destructive behavior in adolescents who have not completed a process of mourning: case study

The article deals with the problem of self-destructive behavior in adolescence through the perspective of family dynamics. Two vignettes describe an uncompleted process of mourning after the loss of a parent in two suicidal adolescents, a girl and a boy. It shows that suicidal behavior may be only a part of a long lasting process which is not always recognized. In both cases dysfunctional family relations did not allow the adolescents to deal properly with their feelings of responsibility, guilt and accumulated inner tension. Characteristic differences are shown between the girl, who is depressed and manifests somatoform disorder and regressive behavior, and the boy, whose unresolved conflicts and anxiety are manifested by conduct disorder.