CONVERSION DISORDERS IN CHILDHOOD AND ADO LESCENCE

Since its first definition 100 years ago, the term conversion underwen t many changes, a fact that is proved by various re-evaluations with r espect to classification (DSM-IV, ICD-10). In the context of a psychod ynamically-oriented diagnostic there are - in addition to that - actua l attempts to reach a valid operationalization of the conversion conce pt. From a psychodynamic point of view a differentiation of traditiona l concepts has been made. Results of examinations of 45 children and a dolescents (average age: 14 years, range: 8-18 years) who had been tre ated in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the Unive rsity of Essen for conversion symptoms, revealed a strong interaction of oedipal and pre-oedipal conflicts and that in case that there was n o help from a third object during early triangulation, the child's end eavor to break out of the primordial relationship with the primary lov e object had been impeded and thus individuation processes were impair ed or even prevented. Our results lead to the conclusion that for the young patients, who came to us with a conversion symptom, the early pr e-oedipal triangulation failed and thus primary separation and depende cy conflicts could not be solved adequately.