[An update on merycism and early depression: a critical review of the literature and a psychopathological hypothesis].

Abstract

Merycism has always intrigued clinicians. A review of the recent literature reminds us of its characteristics. The auto-stimulation dimension appears important, whatever the underlying psychopathology of mericysm. The frequence of mericysm during early childhood seems to have considerably diminished, even almost disappeared. We will discuss the reasons why mericysm continues to exist in the anorexic and boulmic young adult. We will analyze the relationship of mericysm in early childhood to depression and to growth delay. The dimension of ascendency seems to help us understand this problem.