Treatment of an identity-diffused adolescent on an acute inpatient unit.

The case of an adolescent hospitalized on an Acute Inpatient Unit following a suicide attempt is presented. Aspects of the patient's clinical presentation, specifically highly variable behaviors that eventuated in three recurring personality constellations, are linked to the youth's history of physical abuse. Interpretations of the boy's behaviors and treatment strategies are illustrated for consideration in work with other youth suffering histories of abuse.