Nutritional problems are a common manifestation of psychological suffering of an infant and the dysfunction of the mother-infant interaction. The results of a psychological support programme run by Médecins Sans Frontières for severely malnourished children and their mothers in Hebron (Palestine) are described. From December 1995 to May 2000, 382 infants from 0 to 3 years of age were admitted into an integrated nutritional programme involving psychotherapy after treatment failure in a strictly medico-nutritional programme. The mother-infant interaction as well as the psychological state of the mother and infant were evaluated on inclusion, after 3 months and at discharge from the programme. Early interaction between the mother and malnourished infant are described in this article. A resolution of psychological issues and nutritional status was seen after psychotherapy. The parallel between the improvement of mother-child interaction and improvement of nutritional status raises the question of whether psychological screening should be included in nutritional programmes, in all contexts of food scarcity, in order to improve the care of malnourished infants.