Electronic Letters to:

PAPERS:
CATHARINE R. GALE and CHRISTOPHER N. MARTYN
Birth weight and later risk of depression in a national birth cohort
The British Journal of Psychiatry 2004; 184: 28-33 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
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[Read eLetter] Born grieving
Althea Hayton   (29 September 2005)

Born grieving 29 September 2005
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Althea Hayton,
writer and counsellor

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Re: Born grieving

althea{at}wombtwin.com Althea Hayton

I read this article with interest, because I have been studying the feelings and attitudes of the sole survivors of a twin or multiple pregancy. This article and all the other articles sited in it suggest some kind of event or effect that occurs during pregnancy and leaves a permanent effect on the baby after birth.

I believe that more research is needed into the psychological effect of losing a twin before birth. My own initial research, carried out by means of a web-based questionnaire, indicates that those who know and have proof that they lost a twin and those who simply believe it but have no proof experience similar psychological difficulties. These include depression, isolation and various forms of self harm, including addiction and suicide attempts. It also seems likely that survivors of an identical twin pair are more deeply affected by the loss of their twin than the survivors of fraternal twins - it seems that they are born grieving.