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The psychodynamics of xerostomia, a syndrome characterized by a dry mouth caused by an insufficient secretion of saliva and frequently present in certain states of anxiety and depression have, to my knowledge, been neglected in the psychoanalytic literature. Szasz2 discussed the psychogenetic factors of hypersalivation and indicated his intention to study hyposalivation, but neither his reports nor others have appeared in the literature. It is unfortunate that the psychodynamic aspects of hyposalivation have not been explored in the psychoanalytic literature, for this topic represents a significant aspect of the important subject of orality.
It is my intention in this communication to present some dynamic considerations of this syndrome using material that I obtained from a patient whose initial episode of xerostomia occurred during insight therapy. To carry out my intentions I will describe the clinical picture, relevant oral history, and progress in treatment and offer speculations as to its dynamic consideration.
The historical material was elaborated solely by the patient, but to a large degree was confirmed by her family. For the most part I have concentrated on background episodes primarily related to the origin of her upper GI tract symptomatology.
The patient, a fifty-seven-year-old mother of one child, was intelligent,