In search of correspondences between age at psychiatric breakdown and parental age at death--'anniversary reactions'.

Publisher: British Psychological Society Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0370640 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0007-1129 (Print) Linking ISSN: 00071129 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Br J Med Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Letchworth Eng : British Psychological Society
Original Publication: London [etc.]

Grief* ; Parent-Child Relations*; Mental Disorders/*psychology; Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Anniversaries and Special Events ; Anxiety Disorders/psychology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Depressive Disorder/psychology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Maternal Deprivation ; Middle Aged ; Neurotic Disorders/psychology ; Paternal Deprivation ; Phobic Disorders/psychology ; Schizophrenia, Paranoid/psychology

The phenomenon of psychiatric breakdown occurring when the subject reaches the age his/her parent was at death, misleadingly referred to by Hilgard as an 'anniversary reaction', is examined. It is contrasted to breakdown occurring at the anniversary of the death of a significant person and compared with the concept of nemesis as described by Chapman. An attempt is made to assess the incidence and clinical characteristics of patients breaking down at times of such age correspondence in samples of early and late mother-bereaved women from North-East Scotland. It is concluded that the phenomenon is not common and is not associated with specific clinical features. Some illustrative cases are presented.

Date Created: 19810601 Date Completed: 19810915 Latest Revision: 20190913

20221213

10.1111/j.2044-8341.1981.tb01439.x

7248203