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[Etiology of psychosomatic diseases in childhood (author's transl)]
Insights
Psychosomatic diseases in children stem from disturbed parent-child relationships. Therapy must involve parents and focus on the child
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
- Developmental Psychology
Context:
- Psychosomatic diseases in childhood are a significant concern.
- Understanding these conditions requires examining family dynamics.
- The parent-child relationship is central to etiology.
Purpose:
- To explore the causes of childhood psychosomatic illnesses.
- To emphasize the role of disturbed parent-child interactions.
- To advocate for parental involvement in therapy.
Summary:
- Frequent causes are reviewed, highlighting disturbed parent-child relationships as key.
- Psychosomatic illnesses in children are understood through the lens of family dynamics.
- Therapy necessitates parental inclusion and focuses on the child's personal issues, reframing somatic symptoms as defense mechanisms or an 'escape into disease.'
Impact:
- Highlights the critical role of family systems in pediatric psychosomatic disorders.
- Informs therapeutic strategies by emphasizing parent-child relationship interventions.
- Suggests a paradigm shift towards viewing somatic symptoms as psychological defenses in children.
Abstract:
The etiology of psychosomatic diseases in childhood is discussed. At first the most frequent causes of psychosomatic diseases are briefly reviewed; then the fact is discussed in detail that psychosomatic diseases in childhood are only to understand if one pays attention to the disturbed interrelationship between parents and child. This context makes it necessary that the parents are included in the therapeutic approach. In regard to therapy it is very important to reinstitute the psychosomatic unity; this means, to distract the patient from his somatic symptom and confront himself with his own-personal problems. The appearance of a somatic disease is considered as an effective defense-mechanism and may be understood as an "escape into the disease".