title: Pathological fear of cot death.
abstract: Cot death (sudden infant death syndrome) is one of the most common causes of death in the first year of life. Four cases with a pathological fear of cot death are presented. All the patients were depressed and in 2 cases the fear of cot death had an obsessional quality. In all cases there were complications during pregnancy (miscarriage, threatened abortion, recurrent vomiting in last trimester). In 1 case, the patient knew 3 mothers who had suffered cot deaths; in another, the infant was gravely ill in the neonatal period. Pathological fear of cot death can be recognised by the presence of two central features - overvigilance and excessive nocturnal checking of the baby's breathing. Therapeutic interventions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weightman
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Dalal
authors.forename: I F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Brockington
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000150:complications; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D011247:Pregnancy; D013398:Sudden Infant Death