Marital treatment following early infant death

In recent years, clinicians have become increasingly more aware of the high risk of psychiatric disability when parents are unable to mourn the loss of a stillborn baby or a neonate. The literature discussing the psychodynamic functions of this mourning process and the social as well as intrapsychic defenses against it is examined. A clinical illustration suggests how difficulty in acknowledging the ongoing significance of the infant's death can have major ramifications within both the marital relationship and the treatment context. Countertransference issues are found to be particularly important.