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Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in preterm children with selective mutism
  1. Coby Mesman1,
  2. Iris Van Der Horst1,
  3. Fien Spijker-Verkerk2 and
  4. Jan Erik Bunt1
  1. 1Paediatrics, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis, Tilburg, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands
  2. 2Psychology, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis, Tilburg, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands
  1. Correspondence to Dr Jan Erik Bunt; j.bunt{at}etz.nl

Abstract

Very preterm birth and treatment in neonatal intensive care cause stress early in life of the infant and may subsequently lead to psychological and behavioural traumas. Previous studies show positive outcomes of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy on trauma in children in general. This case report describes two girls that were born at very premature age (with birth weights of approximately 1000 g). They required intensive treatment in the neonatal intensive care. In early childhood, they presented with selective mutism (SM). We treated them with EMDR therapy because we hypothesised that trauma from the postnatal period had caused post-traumatic stress disorder. The EMDR therapy resulted in a long-lasting improvement in speech, social skills and communication. This is the first case report of development of SM in ex-premature infants that were treated with EMDR therapy in early childhood.

  • Cognitive behavioural psychotherapy
  • Pediatrics
  • Child and adolescent psychiatry (paediatrics)

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Footnotes

  • Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text and critical revision for important intellectual content: CM, paediatrics resident, clinically involved. IVDH, paediatrics resident, clinically involved. FS-V, child-psychologist. JEB, paediatrician. The following author was responsible for the interview with the mother of the index patients: JEB. The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript: CM, IVDH, FS-V and JEB.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.