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[Introduction to the problems of the symposium on moderate encephalopathies in young children]
Insights
Childhood psychiatric disorders, including encephalopathy, often stem from organic brain alterations present from conception. Recognizing these biological underpinnings is crucial for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of conditions like psychopathy and neurosis.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychiatry
- Neuropsychology
- Developmental Psychology
Context:
- Childhood psychiatric disorders and encephalopathy present significant social challenges.
- Traditional psychoanalytic approaches may overlook the organic basis of mental health issues.
- Biological factors from conception influence individual reactivity and development.
Purpose:
- To emphasize the clinical and organic aspects of childhood psychiatric disorders.
- To re-evaluate the etiology of conditions traditionally viewed as psychogenic.
- To classify character disorders based on somato-clinical criteria.
Summary:
- Minimal, subclinical brain alterations from various etiological factors can underlie many psychic disorders.
- Clinical methods like PEG and EEG aid in diagnosing conditions previously considered distinct nosological units.
- Research supports classifying character disorders into categories like constitutional, sociopathic, homilopathic, and characteropathic, with the latter linked to organic brain defects.
Impact:
- Challenges traditional views on psychopathy, suggesting a need for somato-clinical diagnostic criteria.
- Highlights that severe hysteria and obsessive neurosis may originate from organic brain damage.
- Introduces the concept of etioepigenesis, where functional syndromes develop on a psychoorganic substratum.
Abstract:
Two reasons have decided of the choice of the thema: The intention to stressing the clinical aspect of the psychiatry of children and the frequency of the encephalopathy under different form. These problems have become a social calamity and demand urgently social prevention, therapy and rehabilitation. The priority of psychoanalysis in certain countries causes the underestimation of the organic basis which, since, at very beginning of individual life contributes to change the reactivity of the individual. A great number of psychic disorders traditionally considered as psychogenic might have a source in minimal, subclinical alterations of the brain tissue caused by various etiological factors. From a biological point of view the individual biography does not start in the moment of birth but at conception. The secret of psychic health is hidden in the genetic elements of life. All the aspects of individual development have their value in regard to modern psychiatric diagnosis. In spite of the immense progress in the diagnostic skill, it is difficult to discover the remote causes. We can only approach to an ideal using the clinical methods: PEG, EEG, arteriography and others. Thanks to these examinations oligophreny, epilepsy and other diseases are no more nosological units but symptomatological or syndromological notions with various etiology and localisation. Different authors suppose different localisation of alterations causing erethism. A part of the brain may be damaged but the principle of the brain synergy as a whole is obligatory. Our researches have contributed to liquidate almost entirely the ancient conception of psychopathy. Our material enabled us to classify character disorders into 4 categories: Constitutionally conditioned psychopaths, sociopaths, homilopaths whose character disorders are the consequence of contact difficulties with their environment because of their infirmity, Characteropaths which represent character disturbances caused by organic brain defects. The diagnostic criteria are not psychopathologic but somato-clinical. The psychopaths' quantity decreases in dependence of exactitude of our methods. The morbid reactivity of characteropathic children exposes them to secondary neurotisation and sociopathisation. Our traditional opinions concerning hysteria and obsessive neurosis should undergo radical supervision: severe cases have a basis in a organic brain damage. These examples throw light on the etioepigenesis phenomena, i.e. on the stratification of functional psychotic or neurotic syndromes on a psychoorganic substratum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)