Understanding severe early infantile anorexia
Type de matériel :
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Early infantile anorexia is a complex, multifactorial disorder that endangers the mother-baby dyad and the overall development of the child. Two-month-old Nora was admitted to pediatric hospital due to food refusal, which made passive enteral feeding necessary. The main comorbidity in this child, Noonan syndrome, was diagnosed retrospectively. She presented significant signs of psychological distress related to discontinuity and maternal depression. Thanks to the intensive therapeutic care of the baby and her mother, at the age of two years Nora developed the “play” necessary for symbolic development and was able to move away from this stifling bond with her mother. Nevertheless our clinical observation led us to anticipate a depression in the baby mirroring that of her mother. The observation of Nora illustrates the complexity involved in understanding severe early infantile anorexia. The Noonan syndrome with which this baby was diagnosed added to her weak orality. Her anorexia was also symptomatic of infant depression. It revealed a relational situation with her mother populated by overwhelming deadly and traumatic representations. A review of the present literature on infantile eating disorders confirms the existence of an organic substrate to the emergence of such severe early disorders, and calls for prudence in making any psychopathological assumptions. Our hypothesis here is that a massive maternal projection is unleashed by the baby’s eating disorder. Maternal investment begins to circulate around the suffering and dying of the baby, exacerbating the chronic nature of the anorexia. This picture of infant depression as a mirror of maternal depression revolves around the oral disorder of Nora and maintains it, suggesting a need for psychotherapeutic work with both Nora and her mother.
Réseaux sociaux