Anaclitic depression of René Spitz

Anaclitic depression was a term coined by René Spitz in 1945. Spitz was an Austro-American psychoanalyst. who worked as a psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Hospital and as a professor at several universities in the United States. He was heir to Freud’s postulates, but he dedicated himself mainly to caring for children.

Spitz began researching child development in 1935, when he was still residing in Europe. He used direct observation and the experimental method for his studies.. All of Spitz’s conclusions have a solid empirical basis. In 1945, he carried out detailed research in an orphanage and from his observations the concept of anaclitic depression was born.

The work of this psychoanalyst It had a great impact, both in the scientific community and in society in general.. Much of his research was recorded on film Psychogenic illness in early childhood, made in 1952. This film had a notable impact on bringing about a change in the model of care for children within hospitals. It also made it possible to make the concept of anaclitic depression known to the world.

Anaclitic depression, what is it?

When René Spitz began his research in academic circles it was thought that children were incapable of experiencing depression. Some psychologists argued that signs of this were clinically irrelevant in children. Psychoanalysts, for their part, pointed out that children did not have the necessary capacity for reflection and that, for this reason, it was impossible for them to become depressed. We are talking about the beginning of the 30s.

Despite these widespread beliefs, there were two researchers who deviated from the official truth and decided to see for themselves how valid what was stated was. These two researchers were René Spitz, creator of the concept of anaclitic depression, and John Bowlby who studied in detail the relationship between mother and childat the beginning of life.

Spitz He concluded that children, from a very early age, also became depressed. He discovered that this state included a whole picture of well-defined symptoms. Also that the child reacted with this form of depression to the sudden separation of his mother from him or the ties of affection, for a period of more than three months.

Characteristics of anaclitic depression

Spitz noted that anaclitic depression occurs in children under one year of age. It occurs when the baby develops a bond with his mother and then suffers a sudden separation from her, for a period of three months. If this happens, the child begins to show a whole set of depressive symptoms.

The most visible symptoms are the following:

The baby loses the ability to express himself through his gestures Basically, he stops smiling. He has anorexia, or loss of appetite. There is difficulty sleeping. Sleep hours are reduced or altered.Weightloss.There is a global psychomotor delay.

If emotional deprivation lasts longer than 18 weeks, all symptoms worsen. The child enters a state that Spitz called “hospitalism.” The baby becomes unable to establish stable emotional contacts and his health becomes very fragile. In many cases, this leads to death.

The effects of the research

There are references to a questioned experiment carried out by Frederick II the Great, king of Prussia. It is said that he ordered the construction of an orphanage in which the physical needs of the children were completely taken care of. Aspects such as cleanliness, food, clothing, etc., were completely resolved. However, it was It is prohibited to establish a bond of affection with infants. The result of this unique test was that most of the babies died shortly after.

René Spitz’s studies on anaclitic depression motivated an important change in the way orphanages are managed, at least in the most developed countries. It was evident that the bonds of affection with the babies were as important, or more important than the food itself.. That is why the conditions of children have improved significantly in these establishments.

Childhood depression exists and has increased around the world. Currently, suicide is the sixth cause of death in children between 5 and 14 years old. Although we cannot forget that children with emotional deprivation in their early stages develop behavioral problems more frequently and usually live a stormy existence.

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