Factors Influencing the Changing Clinical Expression of the Depressive Process in Children
LEON CYTRYN M.D.1, and
DONALD H. MCKNEW JR. M.D.2
1 Research Associate, Children's Hospital of the District of Columbia, 2125 13th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009 and Clinical Professor, George Washington University School of Medicine
2 Research Associate, Children's Hospital of the District of Columbia, 2125 13th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009 and Assistant Clinical Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Child Health and Development, George Washington University School of Medicine
The authors attempt to conceptualize a pattern of defense against the depressive process that changes with age. They enumerate several forces that oppose or promote these defensive operations, resulting in three levels at which the depressive process manifests itself: fantasy, verbalization, and mood and behavior. The shifting balance of these forces helps to explain the variability with which the depressive process manifests itself throughout the various phases of the life cycle.
