This series of studies aimed to establish the relevance of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for children and adolescents with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus who had chronic and pervasive difficulties in maintaining diabetic control. The treatments were intensive but uncontrolled in length with some short term and some long term according to patient need. Patients (N=22) were assigned to psychoanalytic treatment with medical management or medical management alone. Outcome was assessed by objective measures of diabetic control. Treatment was associated with significant improvement, maintained on one-year follow-up. Spin-off studies demonstrated benefits for growth, and the association of blood sugar levels and themes within the patient’s treatment.