5.15.2 Antimonium crudum, Case 1
A10 year old boy, called Douwe, is brought in by his mother because of behavioural problems. He is very easily insulted and flies into a rage whenever he gets teased or when things don’t go his way. He even feels offended when his mother asks him to clear up his room or to go and brush his teeth, or any minor request like that. He gets very angry when other children call him ‘Douwe Egberts’.
He always thinks he is being criticised or accused of something he hasn’t done. His automatic response to everything is ‘NO!’ He has terrible mood swings too, one minute he is laughing, the next minute he is crying.
His behaviour cause a lot of tension in the family, he almost acts like a tyrant. His mother thinks it is all due to the fact that he has got an older brother. But he can also be very sweet and caring. He likes drawing and makes little books which he gives to the children in his class. He is also very romantic, kisses his mother on the mouth, loves being cuddled and asks his mother how he should behave with his girlfriends when he is older. But he easily bursts into tears when something throws him off balance.
He is incredibly creative and always does things differently then the rest of the family. He never walks down the stairs the same way twice. He loves reading and drawing, his writing is very stylish and precise. He also loves water and likes to go swimming and sailing. He has joined a gymnastics group after school.
During the consultation he does a drawing of a little man with a star on his belly.
He dreamt that someone found a dinosaur and that he and his father were building a cage, because the dinosaur was going to be given to him. He also dreams about his birthday and getting lotsofpresents.
He wants to be a professor when he is older and do good work for the environment.
protecting the ozone layer etc.
When he was little he always had a cold, which got worse when he drank milk. When he was a baby his mother had difficulty feeding him, because he was always choking on his food, which then made him vomit. It was worse when he was tired, which happened a lot, as the feeding usually took ages. And so it was a vicious circle of getting tired, feeling sick, turning pale and finally vomiting. Only a good sleep would get him out of this circle.
Cows milk gives him eczema around the mouth. He gets very excited in stormy weather.
Generals
Weather: warm, always walks on bare feet; -> outside; < storm.
Desires: buttermilk, yogurt, chips, bread, sweet, fruit, tomatoes, cucumber, lemon, sour, meat, fish, cheese, eggs.
Aversion: warm food, soup (2), melon (2).
Food: < milk.
Sleep: wants to go to bed late and get up late.
Analysis
The contrary behaviour could lead us directly to Antimonium but we shouldn't’ forget the other obstinate remedies like Chamomilla etc. However the standard reply of ‘NO’ is a strong indication for Antimonium. There are also other indications for this remedy: -> sour, buttermilk, fruit, cucumber, <- melon, < milk, vomiting after milk. There is no evidence in his story that he is not allowed to speak, but he definitely feels that he isn’t being heard, a typical Antimonium symptom. The creative side, characteristic of the Silver series, is moulded by the contrariness of Stage 15.
Then there is also the fact that he wants to become a professor (Silver series), working to save the environment (the loss of a nice environment, stage 15).
Now we should decide which Antimonium is the most appropriate for him. He is warm blooded, so it could be Sulphur. His romantic tendency, his jealousy towards his brother and his desire to be cuddled would seem to confirm this choice. So we end up with the combination Antimonium sulphuratum = Antimonium crudum.
Reaction
Three days after taking Antimonium crudum his behaviour became even worse and it remained like hat for seven days. The aggravation was made worse by the fact that it was holidays and he went to bed very late, and the weather was extremely hot. But after this first week things gradually started to improve. He didn't’ say ‘no’ quite so often and the children at school did not tease him quite so much. Three months later everything is going really well.
Much later on he needed some Zincum to round off the treatment.