Psychogenic dwarfism
Encyclopedia
Psychosocial short stature (PSS) or psychosocial dwarfism
, sometimes called psychogenic or stress dwarfism or the eponymous Kaspar Hauser
syndrome, is a growth disorder that is observed between the ages of 2 and 15, caused by extreme emotional deprivation or stress
.
The symptoms include decreased growth hormone
(GH) secretion, very short stature, weight that is inappropriate for the height, and immature skeletal age. This disease is a progressive one, and as long as the child is left in the stressing environment, his or her cognitive abilities continue to degenerate. Though rare in the population at large, it is common in feral children and in children kept in abusive, confined conditions for extended lengths of time. It can cause the body to completely stop growing but is generally considered to be temporary; regular growth will resume when the source of stress is removed.
. These children possibly have a problem with growth hormone inhibiting hormone
(GHIH) or growth hormone releasing hormone
(GHRH). The children could either be unresponsive to these hormones or too sensitive.
Children who have PSS exhibit signs of failure to thrive
. Even though they appear to be receiving adequate nutrition
, they do not grow and develop normally compared to other children of their age.
An environment of constant and extreme stress causes PSS. Stress releases hormones in the body such as epinephrine
and norepinephrine
, engaging what is known as the 'fight or flight' response. The heart speeds up and the body diverts resources away from processes that are not immediately important; in PSS, the production of growth hormone (GH) is thus affected. As well as lacking growth hormone, children with PSS exhibit gastrointestinal
problems due to the large amounts of epinephrine and norepinephrine, resulting in their bodies lacking proper digestion of nutrients and further affecting development.
While the cure for PSS is questionable, some studies show that placing the child affected with the disease in a foster or group home increases growth rate and socialization skills.
When a police raid in 1987 released the children held by an Australian cult known as The Family
, one twelve year old girl weighed under 20 kg (44 lbs) and was under 120 cm (4 ft) tall. She grew 11 cm (4 in) in the following year and her growth hormone levels returned to normal.
Writer J. M. Barrie
may have suffered from PSS. His brother died when Barrie was six years old, and his mother – mourning the loss of her favorite child – neglected him for a time afterward. He was famously shorter than average (5 ft 3½ in. according to his 1934 passport), and his marriage was reportedly never consummated, prompting speculation that he was physically immature. He is most famous for his story of Peter Pan
, the boy who never grew up.
's 1959 novel The Tin Drum
(Die Blechtrommel), the character Oskar Matzerath "willfully stunted his growth at three feet tall as a three-year-old, although later in the novel he grows to four feet one inch" in reaction to the stress he experiences – the petit-bourgeois German society, the rise of Nazism, etc.
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
, sometimes called psychogenic or stress dwarfism or the eponymous Kaspar Hauser
Kaspar Hauser
Kaspar Hauser was a German youth who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell. Hauser's claims, and his subsequent death by stabbing, sparked much debate and controversy....
syndrome, is a growth disorder that is observed between the ages of 2 and 15, caused by extreme emotional deprivation or stress
Stress (medicine)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
.
The symptoms include decreased growth hormone
Growth hormone
Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior...
(GH) secretion, very short stature, weight that is inappropriate for the height, and immature skeletal age. This disease is a progressive one, and as long as the child is left in the stressing environment, his or her cognitive abilities continue to degenerate. Though rare in the population at large, it is common in feral children and in children kept in abusive, confined conditions for extended lengths of time. It can cause the body to completely stop growing but is generally considered to be temporary; regular growth will resume when the source of stress is removed.
Etiology
Children with PSS have extremely low levels of growth hormoneGrowth hormone
Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior...
. These children possibly have a problem with growth hormone inhibiting hormone
Somatostatin
Somatostatin is a peptide hormone that regulates the endocrine system and affects neurotransmission and cell proliferation via interaction with G-protein-coupled somatostatin receptors and inhibition of the release of numerous secondary hormones.Somatostatin...
(GHIH) or growth hormone releasing hormone
Growth hormone releasing hormone
Growth-hormone-releasing hormone , also known as growth-hormone-releasing factor , somatoliberin or somatocrinin, is a releasing hormone for growth hormone...
(GHRH). The children could either be unresponsive to these hormones or too sensitive.
Children who have PSS exhibit signs of failure to thrive
Failure to thrive
Failure to thrive is a medical term which is used in both pediatric and adult human medicine, as well as veterinary medicine ....
. Even though they appear to be receiving adequate nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
, they do not grow and develop normally compared to other children of their age.
An environment of constant and extreme stress causes PSS. Stress releases hormones in the body such as epinephrine
Epinephrine
Epinephrine is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates air passages and participates in the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. In chemical terms, adrenaline is one of a group of monoamines called the catecholamines...
and norepinephrine
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine is the US name for noradrenaline , a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter...
, engaging what is known as the 'fight or flight' response. The heart speeds up and the body diverts resources away from processes that are not immediately important; in PSS, the production of growth hormone (GH) is thus affected. As well as lacking growth hormone, children with PSS exhibit gastrointestinal
Gastrointestinal tract
The human gastrointestinal tract refers to the stomach and intestine, and sometimes to all the structures from the mouth to the anus. ....
problems due to the large amounts of epinephrine and norepinephrine, resulting in their bodies lacking proper digestion of nutrients and further affecting development.
While the cure for PSS is questionable, some studies show that placing the child affected with the disease in a foster or group home increases growth rate and socialization skills.
Cases
A case is a child who was admitted to a hospital with an extremely low weight. One nurse overtook his care and he began to rapidly gain weight and his growth hormone levels increased while the nurse was over his care. The child was so dependent on the nurse emotionally that when she left, his levels returned to that of what they were when he was admitted to the hospital, and once she returned, they stabilized once more.When a police raid in 1987 released the children held by an Australian cult known as The Family
Santiniketan Park Association
The Santiniketan Park Association, also known as The Family and The Great White Brotherhood, is a controversial New Age group formed in Australia under the leadership of the Yoga teacher Anne Hamilton-Byrne.-Beginnings:...
, one twelve year old girl weighed under 20 kg (44 lbs) and was under 120 cm (4 ft) tall. She grew 11 cm (4 in) in the following year and her growth hormone levels returned to normal.
Writer J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
may have suffered from PSS. His brother died when Barrie was six years old, and his mother – mourning the loss of her favorite child – neglected him for a time afterward. He was famously shorter than average (5 ft 3½ in. according to his 1934 passport), and his marriage was reportedly never consummated, prompting speculation that he was physically immature. He is most famous for his story of Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
, the boy who never grew up.
Fictional characters
In Günter GrassGünter Grass
Günter Wilhelm Grass is a Nobel Prize-winning German author, poet, playwright, sculptor and artist.He was born in the Free City of Danzig...
's 1959 novel The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum is a 1959 novel by Günter Grass. The novel is the first book of Grass's .- Plot summary :The story revolves around the life of Oskar Matzerath, as narrated by himself when confined in a mental hospital during the years 1952-1954...
(Die Blechtrommel), the character Oskar Matzerath "willfully stunted his growth at three feet tall as a three-year-old, although later in the novel he grows to four feet one inch" in reaction to the stress he experiences – the petit-bourgeois German society, the rise of Nazism, etc.
External links
- Psychosocial dwarfism from FeralChildren.com