[Fetal and early trauma syndrome-FETS]

Gastón A Zoroastro1

  • 1Servicio de Psicopatología, Hospital Nacional de Clínicas Dr. Pedro Bella, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. gzoroastro@yahoo.es

Insights

This study introduces a new clinical description for children born to disappeared parents during the last military dictatorship, who suffered separation and were adopted. These children may exhibit persistent personality disorders due to severe trauma.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Human Rights Law

Context:

  • Children born to disappeared parents during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship faced severe trauma.
  • These children were subjected to violent separation from mothers and subsequent adoption or sale.
  • The psychological impact includes early and fetal distress, horror, and long-term identity issues.

Purpose:

  • To propose a new clinical classification for children experiencing severe trauma and identity alienation.
  • To discuss the classification of these cases within existing WHO categories (CIE-10).
  • To highlight the need for a distinct classification due to unique etiological and pathognomonic features.

Summary:

  • The study describes a specific group of individuals, referred to as "children of the disappeared," who experienced profound trauma.
  • These individuals exhibit characteristics that extend beyond current diagnoses like Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (F43.1) and Persistent Personality Disorders (F62.0).
  • The proposed classification, "FETS" (a new combination of manifestations of Persistent Personality Disorders), acknowledges their unique pathognomonic identification and etiological factors.

Impact:

  • Recognizing FETS as a distinct clinical entity aids in identifying and treating adults with alienated identity problems.
  • Therapeutic interventions focus on restoring the illegally deprived personality of these individuals.
  • The study underscores the psychological resilience of truth and its eventual emergence, linking to the ethics of truth.