MALADIE DES TICS AND MATERNAL PSYCHOSIS

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Abstract
This is the report of a case of maladie des tics in a 12-year-old boy whose symptoms remitted when his mother developed a psychotic episode. Up to then, the development had been characteristic of the tic syndrome, with onset in prepuberty, spreading of the convulsive movements, and beginning of an obscene vocal tic. The mother''s psychosis erupted during the intake interview when she was questioned about her own background and her attitude toward her son. From the moment of the child''s conception, she had considered him a reincarnation of her own evil and aggressive impulses. She had made control of his aggression the goal of her life, rearing him with extreme psychic restraint. This mother directly expressed the dynamic constellation that has been recognized by others as characteristic of maladie des tics (without encephalopathy). The old literature emphasized a close association between maladie des tics and schizophrenia. The early development of this patient was not incompatible with a later schizophrenic reaction. The dramatic change of the patterns of intrafamilial interaction permitted him a healthier new adaptation.

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