(uppgivenhetssyndrom in Swedish and also known as traumatic withdrawal syndrome) is a little-understood psychological condition in which patients, mostly children under intense feelings of stress and dislocation, withdraw from the world. They show signs of depression, and then may refuse to eat or speak. In the most extreme cases, they slip into a coma-like state; they appear to be sleeping peacefully, but dont respond to any kind of stimulus. They can remain that way for months or even years.

Resignation syndrome is most prevalent in Sweden, where its been seen , typically among migrant children from former Soviet and Yugoslav states. Many arrived with families fleeing persecution. Most have suffered trauma, either psychological or physical; one young boy in Life Overtakes Me saw his fathers friend shot in the street before they fled for Sweden.

Having escaped their native countries, the children face additional stress at the hands of Swedens immigration system, which can leave applicants in limbo for years while processing refugee claims. Its during that time that children, facing possible deportation, slip into unresponsiveness.

Resignation syndrome -that is, a psychological response based in powerlessness and a lack of hope. Its likely not a new phenomenon. Similar responses were seen in , and children being held in Australias offshore migrant detention centers are also resignation syndrome.

Sweden has hundreds of cases of resignation syndrome; according to Life Overtakes Me, more than 200 new cases have appeared in the last three years. There may be cultural reasons why so many cases appear in Sweden, including the countrys willingness to accept refugees but a lengthy process for doing so. Researchers admit that much about resignation just isnt well understood.

Life Overtakes Me shows the mundane routine of caring for a child with resignation syndrome: brushing teeth, filling a feeding tube, stretching out unresponsive limbs. There is no simple cure, so parents do their best to care for the bodies of their children. It seems that only a change in circumstance can bring them back to reality. Once families are granted permanent status in Sweden, the children eventually find their way back to consciousness, often with no memory of the time they spent asleep.