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E u r o S c i C o n C o n f e r e n c e o n
PEDIATRICS
2017
Pediatrics 2017
Volume:3 Issue:4(Suppl)
Journal of Pediatric Care
ISSN 2471-805X
N o v e m b e r 1 3 - 1 4 , 2 0 1 7
L o n d o n , U K
Page 24
In Sweden hundreds of psychologically traumatized refugee children have
been affected by a longstanding disorder: “resignation syndrome” during
the last two decades. The onset can be acute in connection with a negative
decision in their asylum process or as a result of a progressive depression
during the long waiting time for a decision. The first symptom is the child´s
resistance to eat and drink and at the same time he/she becomes mute. Within
days the general mobility is lost and so also the sensibility for cold and pain.
The children usually come to hospital in this state with no formal or emotional
contact. Later, hydration tube-feeding in the home is initiated. The authors
have now explored about 50 of these children and followed their disease and
the recovery. After bringing security into the family, usually with a residency
permit, the children slowly start to recover after 1-3 months and are back in
school after 6 months to one year. Depressive symptoms are common long
after “recovery”. Most children come from ethnic minorities in the former
Soviet union or Balkan. The reason for leaving their country has been trauma
occurring to family members, which the later sick child has witnessed. All
children have such a previous trauma from their home country and many have
developed PTSD. The acute threat of deportation back to the place of the
trauma re-activates their unbearable fear and stress and causes the catatonia
like condition. The presentation will describe the syndrome and discuss why
most of the cases are seen in Sweden.
Biography
Elisabeth Hultcrantz completed her MD/PhD in 1978 from Up-
psala University and Postdoctoral studies from Kresge Hearing
Research Institute, Ann Arbor, MI, USA in 1981. She has been
Professor and Head of ENT at Linköping´s University, and Se-
nior Professor since 2010. She has published about 100 papers
in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board
Member. Since 2008, she has been working for Doctors of the
World, Sweden with special interest in children with resignation
syndrome (RS). She is conducting ongoing research with Child
Psychiatrist, Prof. Anne-Liis von Knorring about aetiology and
recovery from RS.
Resignation syndrome in refugee children in Sweden
Elisabeth Hultcrantz1 and Anne-Liis von Knorring2
1University of Linköping, Sweden
2University of Uppsala, Sweden
Elisabeth Hultcrantz et al., J Pediatr Care 2017, 3:4(Suppl)
DOI: 10.21767/2471-805X-C1-002