Psychoanalytic approach to psychotic disturbances in very young children: a clinical report.

While the psychopathological entity known as early childhood psychosis has been recognized as a clinical disorder for many years, considerable disagreement remains regarding its etiology, the details of its symptomatology, and optimal treatment methods. A body of data is available to us from a 10-year project with 10 psychotic children, ranging in age from 13 months to 3 3/4 years when treatment was begun with them and their parents. Analysis of these data some five years after the termination of the project provides insights into the nature of the illness and effectiveness of treatment methods.