Developmental breakdown in adolescence and psychotic functioning

Abstract

The present article focuses on the major concern of developmental breakdown in adolescence and psychotic functioning. When assessing adolescents at a walk in service it has been learned to be aware that despite the difficulties and hazards attendant on helping the severely disturbed adolescent to risk embarking on intensive therapy, in past experience it is the only treatment which offers the adolescent a second chance. In the course of this work author have become very aware of the compelling nature of the disturbed behavior as in anorexia, self cutting, attempted suicide and so on, and that it is only through understanding the defensive significance of these pathological ways of functioning during adolescence that it can be get in touch with the underlying anxiety which lies behind the compelling behavior. clinically, in author's experience, she had seen almost no adolescents who have developed a hysterical symptom which was not part of a much more disturbed picture. Having such a view of adolescent developmental breakdown has helped to understand the meaning to adolescents of their compelling need to attack or control their body and to see their self destructive behavior in defensive terms. With the help of a case of adolescence author illustrates these aspects. It is hoped that by now it is clear that although the author given no specific clinical example so far, all that she described is based on clinical observations of the many adolescents she had contact with. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)