Mother-Infant Psychoanalysis Project of Stockholm

Treatment as usual (TAU) involved scheduled nurse calls at the local Child Health Centre (CHC), with paediatric checkups at 2 and 6 months of age. The nurse is encouraged to promote attachment and to detect postnatal depressions. Mothers might be offered parental groups, infant massage or guidance promoting interaction, as well as appointments with a paediatrician or a child psychiatric psychologist. Within the TAU framework, additional treatment might be initiated by the nurse or the mother. This was registered at the end-point interview.

MIP (Norman, 2001; 2004) is a psychoanalytic method adapted to the requirements of the infant as analysand in the presence of his mother. In the study, the analysts strived to recruit the baby for an emotional interchange, though this did not imply any belief that the infant would understand verbal communication. Rather, the analyst addressed the baby to help him liberate emotions consolidated in symptoms such as screaming, avoiding maternal eye contact, and breast refusal. The analyst took care in enrolling the participant mother. This was to enhance her understanding of the baby's predicament and the nature of their relation, as well as giving her space to vent her own frustration, depression and anxiety.