Abstract
In 1892, Freud described a case of a woman who presented with psychiatric symptoms only after giving birth, a “hysterique d’occasion.” Upon delivery, she developed loss of appetite, vomiting, pain with nursing, agitation, and insomnia. Ultimately, she had to send her child to a wet nurse. Two years later, she became pregnant again. Remarkably, the same symptoms recurred after delivery, threatening a similar separation from her baby. Freud’s prescription? She should be more assertive and “break out against her family with some acrimony.” Under hypnosis, he told her to ask, “What had happened to her dinner? Did they mean to let her starve? How could she feed the baby if she had nothing to eat herself?” She complied, “and…remonstrated with her mother in a way quite unlike herself.” The symptoms resolved and Freud claimed victory.
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