Flight into illness or Why do children get sick? to illness, but in most cases, a sick child is tenderly looked after and cared for diligently. The child becomes the center of attention, no one scolds him, no one asks anything of him. He is not alone or abandoned. His parents find time to be with him, his sisters and brothers don’t compete, don’t tease, don’t fight—he finally gets the love he’s been yearning for for a long time. But now the most difficult days of his illness are behind him, the patient is recovering. He no longer wants to lie down, I want to get out of bed, run, jump, play mischief, and the parents understand that their child is recovering and don’t fuss so much around him. Gradually, the family’s life returns to normal. When a child finds himself in difficult situations, he is afraid that he may be punished for disobedience, disorder, bad grades, he may get sick, because from his own experience he already knows that only in this way can he receive leniency, indulgences and attention from others. Especially often, the experience of escaping into illness is as a way out of a difficult situation. acquired by a child when there is a role model. More often this is a mother or grandmother, they attract attention if they demonstrate that as a result of a quarrel they have a headache or high blood pressure. Then the other participants in the conflict feel guilty and the family disagreement is resolved in favor of the “victim.” Sometimes a child, at the cost of his illness, strives to to unite mom and dad who are quarreling. Remember the story about Denis Korablev, who got sick so that dad and mom would forget about their quarrel and make peace. It is important for every child to feel loved, to receive care and attention, not only during illness. Dear parents! If your son or daughter begins to get sick often, watch - maybe they have some difficulties that are difficult for them to overcome without your support, or maybe you often frown and have stopped smiling. Don’t rush to the pharmacy for pills - sometimes it’s a heart-to-heart conversation , in a warm family environment, better than any medicine. The article was published in the newspaper “Psychology for Everyone” in 2008. Irina Chirtsova is a psychoanalytic therapist, member of the Society of Psychoanalytic Therapy, section of individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy for adults (Moscow). For nonresidents, it is possible to consult with the author of the article via the Internet. Skype irrina061