Pseudocyesis as a healing mechanism for psychological trauma

Georgia Nektaria Porfyri (1st Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece)
Anastasia Konsta (1st Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece)
Anthoula Tsolaki (1st Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece)
Ioannis Diakogiannis (1st Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece)
Ioanna Ierodiakonou-Benou (3rd Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece)

Jurnal Profesi Medika: Jurnal Kedokteran dan Kesehatan
Vol 14, No 1 (2020): Jurnal Profesi Medika : Jurnal Kedokteran dan Kesehatan

Pseudocyesis, a rare condition characterized by clinical signs and symptoms of pregnancy except for the actual existence of a fetus, is a somatic symptom disorder associated with a variety of biological, psychological and social factors. The present report aims to present the case of a 45-year old patient with pseudocyesis from a psychodynamic perspective. According to a psychodynamic perspective and based on patient’s history, pseudocyesis functioned as a mental healing mechanismfor the trauma of long-standing infertility, the trauma of eight unsuccessful and painful in vitro fertilization attempts and above all, the trauma of finally giving birth to a non-healthy child.