Am J Psychiatry 1975; 132:957-959
Copyright © 1975 by American Psychiatric Association
Psychogenic factors in kidney transplant rejection: a case study
M Viederman
The author examines the influence of psychic factors on kidney transplant
rejection in a patient who suffered emotional trauma. As an adolescent,
this man had reacted to the death of his father with an incomplete mourning
response and had coped with the loss through identification and a search
for surrogates. The death of a paternal surrogate immediately preceded the
transplant rejection. The author emphasizes that the establishment of a
causal relationship between a somatic event and a psychic antecedent is
facilitated by demonstrating that a latent conflict has been evoked
symbolically by an external event. Further research into such correlations
could significantly enhance our understanding of disease processes.
