ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the case of Patrick. The way in which Patrick and his mother needed and used professional help illustrates the function of the psycho-analyst in child psychiatry. Patrick said he was not doing very well at school, but he "liked intellectual effort." He had made a terrific effort to learn Latin all the way in the train, and at home he retired to bed to continue the intellectual effort. Patrick said that he had thought of running away in the autumn term. Patrick had a delayed reaction to a tragedy in which he was involved at the age of 11 years. The total result is that Patrick has lost the major part of the illness from which he suffered before the tragedy, which was of the nature of a deprivation reaction, and which was characterised by a degree of mother-fixation.
