[The juvenile diabetic and his family]

This treatise is an attempt at defining a specific area within the boundaries of psychosomatic research concerned with Diabetes mellitus in the adolescent where special reference to the diabetics situation in his family is made. Following a summary of psychosomatic research centered on the individual, the results from intra-familial research in families with a child suffering from diabetes are discussed. From the evidence it becomes apparent that the juvenile diabetic's capability of coping with his illness, both in its initial phase and in its subsequent development, is dependent upon his family situation. An essay on the psychosomatic syndromes of the juvenile diabetic will be presented later. The family therapy type of approach makes use of the most recent findings in the field of psychodynamics in families affected by a case of diabetes.