Elsa-Brita Nordlund

Elsa-Brita Nordlund (29 April 190316 April 1987) was the first Swedish child psychiatrist. Her most notable work focused on the humanization of care in children's hospitals.

Early life and education Nordlund was born on 29 April 1903, in the Katarina Parish in Stockholm, Sweden. Her father was Karl Nordlund who was a senior lecturer at Uppsala University and her mother was Elsa Augusta Nordqvist.

While she chiefly worked as a practicing doctor and physician, Nordlund used her extensive clinical knowledge to advocate for the humanization of the care of children in hospitals and clinics. Her efforts emphasized the important effect of external factors on the individual. Nordlund believed that understanding context, relationships and socio-economic status was vital to providing the proper care for a child's symptoms or behavioral problems. Notably, she applied this contextualization aspect of clinical care in the treatment of adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Nordlund went against typical treatments of the time such as routine weight checks and instead sought to understand the emotional functions of symptoms and the contexts in which they arose.

Positions held Nordlund held the following positions: Acting Doctor at Mellansjö (School for nervous and maladapted children) in Täby 1930-34 and 1940-46 Acting Doctor at Beckomberga Hospital 1938-40 School Doctor and Part-time Teacher at Highland School in Stockholm 1940-44 Acting Doctor at Serafimer Hospital's Neurology Clinic 1941-43 Volunteer Assistant at Norrtull Hospital's Pediatric Clinic 1943-44 Member of Stockholm City's Sex Education Committee 1943-46 Assistant Physician at Stockholm City Advisory Bureau for Educational Issues 1944-47 Assistant Physician at Norrtull Hospital's Pediatric Clinic 1944, Outpatient assistant 1944–46, member of Criminal Law Committee 1944-1956 Chairman of the Board of Viggbyholmsskolan, Täby 1945 Member of Stockholm City Permanent Abortion Committee 1946 Acting Doctor at Norrtull Hospital's counseling office and child psychiatric ward in 1946, Chief Physician 1950 Chief Physician at Karolinska Hospital's child psychiatric ward 1952-69 Special Rapporteur of the Medical Board in child psychiatric matters 1961-73 Visiting Professor at University of Minnesota Medical School in 1960s

Selected publications Nordlund, E.B. (1943) The children and the sexual enlightenment. Hertha Nordlund, E.B. (1949). How a Child Guidance Clinic Works. Acta Paediatrica Vol. 38, No 1 Nordlund, E.B. (1952) Upbringing Problems in a Children's Hospital 1. Acta Paediatrica Vol. 41, No 2 Wallgren, A., Klackenberg, G., & Nordlund, E.B. (1959) .Child care and pediatric care: a textbook for pediatric nurses. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell Stern, E.M., Castendyck, E., Junker, K.S., & Nordlund, E.B. (1957) Children with disabilities: Their upbringing and care: 2 edition. Lund