Recovery of children after severe head injury. Psychoreactive superimpositions.
After the regaining of consciousness and awareness in the strange environment of an intensive care unit, an injured child is exposed to a situation of extreme psychological impact. This situation, in addition to a probably organically changed reactivity, is liable to provoke a particular, abnormal psychic response. The abnormal reaction can follow the pattern of a feigned-death response and thus mimic an organic coma vigile (apallic state). The resulting psychoreactive stuporous state ("Sleeping Beauty syndrome") may lead to a misjudgement of the recovery degree and may delay early rehabilitation. With the help of a representative case, the clinical manifestation, course, and treatment of this reactive juvenile syndrome are presented. The interaction of physiogenic and psychogenic factors responsible for some psychiatric sequelae during the early period after head injury is emphasized.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000405:Akinetic Mutism / Q000517:prevention & control; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000534:rehabilitation