The hyperactive child and the body: A clinical study on the origin of hyperactivity in children

Abstract

A group of 22 hyperactive children from 7 to 12 years of age was selected among 38 out-patients registered at Hospital do Servidor Público de São Paulo (Civil Servant Hospital of the State of São Paulo). Their psychiatric evaluation was negative, the neurological examination showed "psychomotor syndrome", and psychological evaluation revealed disorders related with Ego maturation in all cases. Although all children were referred to psychotherapy, only thirteen underwent individual sessions once a week for an uninterrupted period of up to one year. Neither diets nor medicines were prescribed. After six months and one year of treatment, the children were reevaluated. They showed improved school performance, reduced hyperactivity, and better internal psychic organization. These results are considered as undeniable evidence of the psychodynamic origin of hyperactivity syndrome in children, when no definite neurologic or psychiatric diseases are demonstrated.