CYCLIC VOMITING SYNDROME AS CARDINAL SIGN OF A REGRESSION

A 17-year old boy with primary mental retardation of unknown aetiology and cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is reported. Missing an organic ca use of the episodes therapeutic procedures remained symptomatic for a 15 years time period. The report focusses the CVS as a regressive mech anism triggered by a mental retardation of the child which permanently disturbed the interaction between parents and child. Psychotherapeuti c approach was successful in The following respects: The advantage by illness to vomit at home was continously reduced by admitting the boy to a hospital at every ongoing attack. Hypnotherapeutic techniques wer e able to substitute the ''malign'' regression (CVS) successively by i nducing a ''benign'' kind of regression. Family therapy could induce n ew and more intense non-verbal patterns of communication which where h itherto unknown in this family.