John Libbey Eurotext




The dilemma when confronted with a perinatal diagnosis: the pain of having a handicapped child
l'Information Psychiatrique. Volume 85, Number 5, 439-45, mai 2009, Cas clinique
Résumé Article gratuit
Author(s) : Martine Carpentier
Summary : It is via a clinical circumstance presented by a pluri-disciplinary home care team from the Association of Paralysis of France that I address the paradoxically distressing problem that occurs for parents when they learn that their daughter has had her problem resolved. This initial clinical example has given me the opportunity to clearly define the unconscious mechanism of repression.An example, taken from my own clinical practice, will show the unrest and anxiety a mother undergoes at the announcement of a viral diagnosis of her baby during pregnancy, a viral illness which could engender major physical deformities in the fetus. What sort of advice could be given to physicians when it concerns announcing a diagnosis which is heavy with consequences. What does the Law of the 4th of March have to say on this subject ? How can the nuances be understood?
Keywords : anxiety, physical pain, perinatality, paradox, announcement, handicap

The dilemma when confronted with a perinatal diagnosis: the pain of having a handicapped child