Reginald S. Lourie

Study of an oral fixation: pica.

This resea rch foc uses on the psychodynamics of pica in childre n, viewin g the symp tom as an oral fixation or regression, The possibility is presented that psychoan alyti c th eory may be val ida ted and perhaps extended by study ing childre n an d an alyzing th e dat a sta tistically. Altho ugh the in vestigative metho d used is n ot psychoanalysis, the psychoan alytic th eory of pe rsonality is the frame of reference. Pi ca is a depraved appe tite with r esultant ingestion of nonfood substances. Pi ca has been kn own since anc ien t tim es and fo und to occu r on every con ti nen t (An ell and Lagercrantz, 1958; Cooper, 1957 ; Lau fer, 1930). In th e United Sta tes a t present, pi ca occurs most fr equently among the low-income Negro and white populations, and some Indian tribes; it is not so prevalent in the upperan d middlein come whi te population (Cooper, 1957 ; Gardner and T evetoglu,

Cultural influences and symptom choice: Clay-eating customs in relation to the etiology of pica

The role of cultural influence in symptom choice was examined in a study of the etiology of pica in children. Interviews with mothers of children with and without pica showed that: (a) mothers of children with pica more frequently come from communities where clay-eating and starch-eating are a part of the culture than do mothers of children with other behavior problems; (b)mothers of children with pica more frequently have had pica themselves, as adults, than have mothers of children without pica; (c) some mothers teach pica to their children; (d) when cultural influences encourage the mother in the use of oral satisfaction as a means of coping with the child’s anxiety, this may be continued by the child in the form of pica.

Teaching Pediatric Psychiatry to Medical Students: Technical and Affective Dimensions

Abstract To aid in their development as more aware and therapeutic physicians, medical students are exposed to intensive, supervised participation in the diagnostic evaluation of a child. Basic principles and methodology of the model are described. Consideration is given to the role and contributions of each member of the teaching team, with particular attention to the timing and integration during the weeks learning process. The meaning and management of student-teacher interactions, and of individual responses to the clinical situation, are discussed.

Social and Psychological Aspects of the Panel Report

It has been very interesting for me to see that, without consultation, the members of the Panel have all come up with the same feeling about what was accomplished, what the process was in evolving the report and carrying out the work. As Dr. Thelander indicated, before the Presidents Panel came into being, most of us were quite complacent about working with bits and pieces of service separated from each other and very often operating in vacuums. But the Panel was given a mandate to pull together these bits and pieces from every discipline which could make a contribution to a plan that would cover the entire field of mental retardation. Out of their thinking came a picture of how one can function on an over-all coordinated basis. The mandate included the necessity for thinking boldly and broadly; without such thinking it would be very difficult to deal with this