Intervention in a development crisis: a child's birth

Abstract

Pregnancy and the prospect of parenthood are transitional stages in development which can lead to a crisis in certain individuals. This paper presents the treatment given to a 35-yearold man diagnosed as having Hypochondria and Mixed Adjustment Disorder with anxiety and depression, whose symptoms began when he got to know he was about to become a father. Therapy was given in a course of 18 sessions with the following main objectives: to tackle the feelings triggered by the new situation, to control this situation cognitively, and to develop new strategies to deal with the situation and make a suitable use of bis external resources. To achieve these objectives, some cognitive-behaviourist techniques were applied. The results assessed after the treatment, by means of pretests and post-tests, clearly showed that symptoms had subsided and the patient's personal resources had been strengthened and optimised.