Thinking about dementia – a psychodynamic understanding of links between early infantile experience and dementia

Abstract

This paper explores links between a psychodynamic approach to early infantile experience and how this can underpin an understanding of the states of mind that can be returned to for a person with dementia as the disease progresses. Dementia is more commonly associated with later life, early onset dementia, however, is also a reality. A deeper understanding of the unconscious communications and anxieties in this area and the containment provided by this understanding can help to support more thoughtful work with the person with dementia, their family and the formal support system around them both. The paper uses vignettes from working with a client in his home.

Keywords:

• dementia
• Alzheimer's disease
• psychodynamic
• containment
• carers

Acknowledgements

Thank you to tutors and fellow students on the Tavistock Centre training, ‘psychodynamic approaches to old age’ (2005–2007) where much of the thinking in this paper was developed and to Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust, for supporting this professional development. To Andrew Balfour, Christopher Brown and Rachel Darnley-Smith for comments on an earlier draft. This paper was written before a publication by Evans (2008), which has significantly added to the body of work linking psychoanalytic ideas with the experience of people with dementia; it is referenced below.