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Henry's story

Henry is seven years old and was referred to the outpatient clinic due to anxiety, sleeping and concentration problems. The problems have been present over the past year. One and a quarter years ago Henry was in a serious accident. He drove a toy truck down a steep hill and collided with a pole. He fractured his skull and his left thighbone. Henry was conscious until he was put under narcosis at the hospital. Due to haemorrhaging they almost lost him several times during the operation. Henry lives with his parents and brother who is two years older than him.

Symptoms and behavioural problems
Over the past year, Henry has had problems falling asleep at night. His parents have to sit with him until he falls asleep. He wakes up almost every night. His parents say it seems like he has nightmares and he is frightened upon awakening; still, he usually gets enough sleep. They have also noticed that Henry hides toys that have broken. One day he came running home from playing with the neighbour’s boy, very frightened and upset, because he had seen a spider man figure that had lost its leg.

Lately Henry has also started getting up at night and eating mackerel in tomatoes. When his mother asked him why, he replied that otherwise his heart might stop. His mother relates this to the fact that they have talked about how mackerel is healthy for the heart.

At school Henry is well liked, not aggressive or antisocial. He does, however, have some concentration problems. The teachers say they became aware of this about half a year ago and have dealt with it so that it is not a big problem for him in class.

Developmental disorders and somatic problems
Since the accident, Henry limps and he stumbles easily when he is running. This makes it difficult for him to keep up when he is playing football with his friends. Upon the advice of his physical education teacher he is the goalkeeper, which he enjoys. He does well academically.

Social problems
Recently Henry withdraws when other children play with human-like figures or dolls. His mother thinks he is afraid they will break. It is a problem that he does not want to go home with friends from his class. He only visits the next door neighbour’s boy, whom he knows very well. Henry is also frightened and becomes upset if his parents are going to a party or one of them has to travel with work. Therefore, they only attend parties together on very special occasions and his mother has told her employer that she cannot travel. Aside from the time in the hospital, Henry has had normal school attendance. There are no particular problems in the family.

Lack of information and knowledge
Henry’s parents think his problems are a result of his becoming more timid after the accident. They think the sleeping problems arose because it was difficult for him to sleep in the room he shared with several other people at the hospital. They find it strange, however, that his problems have not diminished. They have heard that other children with sleeping problems have benefited from sleeping tablets. Consequently they contacted their doctor, who referred them to CAMHS.

Page last updated: 9 December 2008