[The child with diabetes and his illness. The place of diabetes in the psychological life of the child].

Diabetic children and adolescents in an endocrinology department were allowed to speak freely of their interests and their perceived problems in life. The majority did not even mention their diabetes, but rather other hurdles to their fulfillment as loved, sexual beings. These were the consequence of their parents' desires, fantasies and demands. These results illustrate the opposing realities of the day to day constraints of the disease and the inner psyche of these children. They are comparable to those obtained in other similar studies in children with chronic illnesses.