[Children of parents with mood disorders]. / Hijos de padres con trastorno del ánimo.

In recent years, child and adolescent psychiatry has recognized a high prevalence rate of mental disorders in affective disorders' offsprings. These can vary in their nature and severity. What is important is to bare in mind this risk condition. Many times prevention is possible, or early treatment is available. In an investigation that is actually being carried out in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Chile, that searches for understanding factors that severely deviate child and adolescent development, we found it is not unusual for the parents of the proband group to have affective disorders. In order to illustrate the discussion we describe three clinical histories.

Hijos de padres con trastorno del ánimo / Childrn of parents with mood disorders

En los últimos años, la psiquiatría infanto-juvenil ha reconocido la presencia de una alta tasa de prevalencia de trastornos mentales en los hijos de padres con trastorno del ánimo. Estos pueden ser de variada naturaleza y severidad. Lo importante es tener presente que existe esta condición de riesgo. Muchas veces es posible prevenir los trastornos, o tratarlos precozmente. En una investigación en curso, del Departamento de Psiquiatria de la Universidad de Chile que busca comprender los factores que desvían gravemente el desarrollo infanto-juvenil, encontramos una frecuencia llamativa de trastorno del anímo en los padres del grupo de niños en estudio. Se presentan tres historias clínicas para ilustrar la discusión

Hijos de padres con trastorno del ánimo / Childrn of parents with mood disorders

En los últimos años, la psiquiatría infanto-juvenil ha reconocido la presencia de una alta tasa de prevalencia de trastornos mentales en los hijos de padres con trastorno del ánimo. Estos pueden ser de variada naturaleza y severidad. Lo importante es tener presente que existe esta condición de riesgo. Muchas veces es posible prevenir los trastornos, o tratarlos precozmente. En una investigación en curso, del Departamento de Psiquiatria de la Universidad de Chile que busca comprender los factores que desvían gravemente el desarrollo infanto-juvenil, encontramos una frecuencia llamativa de trastorno del anímo en los padres del grupo de niños en estudio. Se presentan tres historias clínicas para ilustrar la discusión (AU)

Hijos de padres con trastorno del ánimo. / [Children of parents with mood disorders]

In recent years, child and adolescent psychiatry has recognized a high prevalence rate of mental disorders in affective disorders offsprings. These can vary in their nature and severity. What is important is to bare in mind this risk condition. Many times prevention is possible, or early treatment is available. In an investigation that is actually being carried out in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Chile, that searches for understanding factors that severely deviate child and adolescent development, we found it is not unusual for the parents of the proband group to have affective disorders. In order to illustrate the discussion we describe three clinical histories.

[Disorders of the mother-child relationship in newborn infants with low birth weight]. / Troubles de la relation mère-enfant chez les nouveau-nés de petits poids de naissance.

The influence of premature birth or intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) on the mother-child relationship has been studied in 80 children with birth-weight below 2000 g, treated in the Neonatology Unit of the Pediatric Department of Lausanne University. 40 children with birth-weight over 2500 g and without perinatal complications born in the Obstetrical Department of the same hospital were used as controls. The 80 infants with low birth-weight presented only minor neonatal disturbances and showed later on a normal psychomotor development. The mother-child relationship was evaluated by free and structured interviews accompanied by a questionnaire and by regular contacts throughout the first 12 months. With the exception of the professional work of the mother during and after pregnancy, all the family and social factors were not significantly different in the 3 groups. The mothers of premature children showed significantly more disturbances of their family relationship than the mothers in the control group. On the other hand, a significantly higher number of attachment problems is the only difference observed in the group of mothers of IUGR-babies. There was no mathematical correlation between these problems and the characteristics of the family and social-economic environment of the mothers. The importance of subjective, i.e. psychological, factors as cause of difficulties in the mother-child relationship is stressed.