Remedy code: 3-655.33.01
A boy of eight years old, with behavioral problems, and incontinence. The father has psychological issues, and the parents have been divorced for seven years. He insults his mother, calling her boring. He is angry, hits, throws things, grinds his teeth, pulls his hair, and bangs his head against the wall. Hitting and kicking, angry at both parents, he can hide in the closet during visits, and making contact is difficult. At home and school, he is fleeting, has poor concentration, and has a negative self-image. He experiences panic, afraid that people want to harm him. After school, he curses, rages, and wets his pants a little. He is unreachable to his mother and screams out of nowhere. The fear often appears when playing outside or in groups of people; he screams and shouts on the street, and other children then pick on him. He has nightmares he cannot recount and talks a lot in his sleep. He is often cold but rarely sick otherwise. His face and arms are covered with molluscum contagiosum. His play often revolves around destruction, hatred, and death. He says things like, “This sucks,” and then justifies it by saying, “It’s in my head,” blurting it out. He makes a lot of noise, is very intrusive with it, and forces attention and space. During pregnancy, the mother experienced a time of insecurity, panic, and "pretending," feeling unsafe and doubtful. The relationship involved much unpredictability and lack of clarity. At school, he provokes, often stirs up trouble, and suffers from severe performance anxiety. He also seems to have a sense of inferiority, saying, “It’s too busy,” “I can’t do it,” and “I want to die.” The mother describes the father as hard, ruthless, overcompensating, using lots of alcohol and drugs, deeply in debt, and displaying psychopathic and manipulative behavior. She has not felt safe for all those years. He exhibits clownish behavior upon entering school. He is very hyper, curses, and has been hyperactive for years. He has difficulty falling asleep. The incontinence: He gets up to urinate at night but lets it run during school. He articulates quite well what he sees and feels. The mother is openly accused by the father, and the boy says, “They talk about my mom, I don’t know who to choose.” He sometimes scratches himself with a pen, seemingly as a form of protest. He says, “I feel like a loser when I get a bad report.” He protests a lot, slouches, and displays feigned indifference. He tries to appear confident and uninterested, which is remarkably deliberate for his age. All changes unsettle him, like a different teacher or day rhythm. At home, he misses structure during vacations. He has developed a severe rash. He is also misunderstood by his friends. You often have to call him repeatedly; it seems as if he is testing boundaries. The mother has to stay on top of him, as he can be very provocative. Once given space, things go wrong. He is very challenging, exhibits odd behavior like dangling or poking with sticks. The week prior, he fought on the street and was beaten up, screaming, “I want to die,” “I’ll kill myself.” He says, “They’re all against me.” He needs a goal; otherwise, he does strange things. He seeks out problems and lacks insight into this, according to his mother, as if he switches something off. When the mother expresses her sadness, the boy shows a look of complete openness, aware of what is being said and the emotions involved. He tries to present himself as an adult.
AnalysisMalvales themes are visible in the "loyalty issues," the struggle between father and mother (Scholten), the "together and separated" (Sankaran), the compensatory behavior of liveliness, acting cheerful (clowning around), presenting himself as strong (powerful), and the physical reactions to fear and stress (Scholten).
An option was sought within the
Malvales. Suspicion and the feeling of being attacked are clearly expressed, reflecting the theme of "attack." The repertory lists the remedy under “delusion attacked, taciturn children.” The known
Malvales at the time were not sufficiently fitting. Impulsiveness, "seeking problems," lack of control, tantrums, incontinence, and nightmares are known from cases of Abelmoschus.
Prescription: Abelmoschus MK.
Follow-upAfter two months, he walks in as an eight-year-old like a movie star, self-assured, with a confident and slightly provocative attitude, hair and sunglasses like a model. He is less restless, and eventually starts playing, but can now be guided in his typical "noise-making." He still occasionally yells something loudly in response, but it’s more to get it over with than out of the previous enormous indignation. His tone is now neutral. Daytime incontinence has improved significantly, no longer wetting himself five times but only on rare occasions, such as the first school day or a busy birthday at his father’s. He is still quickly overstimulated, running and flying around during vacations, but now finds moments of calm at home. His extreme anger has diminished; he can better regulate it. The mother notices he seems to think before speaking or expressing emotions now. For example, instead of screaming and raging, he argues and then
cries. He expresses his feelings more and understands situations better, often hitting the nail on the head. There is less “chaotic thinking,” fewer "conspiracies," and less distrustful thinking. When it does occur, it feels more like a habit or his perception of "expectations." It seems as if he now protects himself by avoiding chaos or wild friends. Previously, he would yell, “They want to kill me,” and “They hate me,” but now he withdraws. There still appears to be no middle ground. He has always been susceptible to “provocation.” Recently, he has complained of stomachaches and still doesn’t go to the toilet independently enough. He sweats profusely and frequently. Lately, he has been very focused on money and luxury, fantasizing about spending money. He no longer wants to visit his father, seeing through his excuses, not trusting him, and calling him a liar and a fabricator of strange stories. The child seems more grounded in reality in many aspects, including the unpleasant relationship with his father. He allows and articulates emotions more, with less chaos and aggression. In subsequent years, during a move and a new school, mild unrest and incontinence briefly reappeared.