Editorial: Community series in the consequences of COVID-19 on the mental well-being of parents, children and adolescents, volume II

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Learning from tinnitus patients' narratives—A case study in the psychodynamic approach

International audienceTinnitus is assumed to be the perception of sound that results exclusively from activity within the nervous system without any external stimulation. Approximately 1-2% of the population regard their tinnitus as a serious threat towards their quality of life. The way the patients describe their suffering varies, sometimes also depending on the interest and insight of the clinician to whom they turn to for help. The lack of insightful narratives of someone who is severely annoyed by the presence of a constant tinnitus sound may lead to limited and biased models of tinnitus suffering. In the present case study the participating patient, a woman aged 70, shared her experience of being victimized by tinnitus with the clinician/ researcher during a number of psychotherapeutic sessions. The psychodynamic, narrative approach, made it possible for the client to articulate the unique and specific meaning that she experienced as being part of her suffering. In her words, tinnitus became a tolerable symptom that she managed to work through within psychotherapeutic alliance

Categorization of tinnitus in view of history and medical discourse

International audienc

Categorization of tinnitus in view of history and medical discourse

International audienc

Liberating parents from guilt: a grounded theory study of parents’ internet communities for the recognition of ADHD

International audiencePurpose: This study presents a qualitative analysis of information posted on the Internet by two communities of French parents promoting the recognition of ADHD in the context of current health and school practices. Method: Grounded Theory (Strauss & Corbin’s approach) was applied to the posted messages, with the aim to discover the main concern and common theme through a constant comparison analysis. Results: Liberating parents from feeling responsible for their child’s misconduct was found to be the core category. From this perspective, we account for the commitment of the digital communities to formalize the child’s conduct as a consequence of a neurodevelopmental disorder. This approach helps to account for the promotion of behavioural expertise and conditioning strategies (e.g., positive reinforcement) for handling the child’s so-called disorder as appropriate parental responses. Giving evidence for parenting struggles was the third main concern of the communities, in the face of perceived skepticism from professionals towards ADHD as a medical condition. Conclusions: By using examples from countries that are found to have a more pro-medical approach to ADHD, the communities aim at improving such medical practices in France. Issues surrounding the claim that ADHD would require a specific style of parenting are also discussed

Learning from tinnitus patients&#x0027; narratives&#x2014;A case study in the psychodynamic approach

Tinnitus is assumed to be the perception of sound that results exclusively from activity within the nervous system without any external stimulation. Approximately 1&#x2013;2% of the population regard their tinnitus as a serious threat towards their quality of life. The way the patients describe their suffering varies, sometimes also depending on the interest and insight of the clinician to whom they turn to for help. The lack of insightful narratives of someone who is severely annoyed by the presence of a constant tinnitus sound may lead to limited and biased models of tinnitus suffering. In the present case study the participating patient, a woman aged 70, shared her experience of being victimized by tinnitus with the clinician/researcher during a number of psychotherapeutic sessions. The psychodynamic, narrative approach, made it possible for the client to articulate the unique and specific meaning that she experienced as being part of her suffering. In her words, tinnitus became a tolerable symptom that she managed to work through within psychotherapeutic alliance

A discursive analysis concerning information on “ADHD” presented to parents by the National Institute of Mental Health (USA)

A discourse analysis was performed based on an online document under the headline: “What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD)?” published by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), USA. Three parts of the document were analysed: (1) The introductory part, as this sets the tone of the whole text. (2) Parts of the text that were specifically addressed to parents. (3) Etiology and pathology of “ADHD” with reference to a number of different symptoms and behaviors. Inattention and hyperactivity are presented in the document as a floating spectrum of symptoms caused by “ADHD.” Other factors of importance for children's development, that is, early attachment, close relationships, previous experiences, culture, and contexts are ignored. Children who are perceived as inattentive and hyperactive are portrayed as having inherent difficulties with no reference to their emotions or efforts to communicate. The child is viewed as suffering from a lifelong disorder that might not be cured but controlled by a diagnosis and subsequent medication. Parents are advised to control their child's behavior and to strive for early diagnosis in order to receive treatment provided by experts. Those who are presented as experts rely on a biomedical model, and in the document, detailed descriptions of medication to correct the undesired behaviors are provided. The value of judgment in the assessment of different symptoms and behaviors that signifies “ADHD” is absent, rather taken-for-granted beliefs were identified throughout the document. A heterogeneous set of behaviors is solely described as a disorder and hereafter it is stressed that the same behaviors are caused by the disorder. In this manner, cause and effects of “ADHD” are intertwined through circular argumentation