19

Several clinicians and researchers have considered hyperactivity to be the expression of a counter-depressive defense, even comparing it to a manic defense. This text offers a critical reflection about the theoretical and epistemological difficulties which exist in linking depression, manic defenses and hyperactivity (or psychomotor instability). Several models do not take account of the different dynamic forms and the type of symbolisation involved in depression and hyperactivity. This text proposes to differentiate three forms of depression according to their degree of conflict symbolisation: the lack or the absence of melancholic depression, narcissistic depression with a representation of absence and narcissistic depression without such a representation. Examples of projective tests taken from a study of hyperactive children illustrate the proposition.