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Case Reports
. 2010 Sep 9:2010:bcr0820092166.
doi: 10.1136/bcr.08.2009.2166.

Onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms after psychological trauma may result in erroneous diagnostic bias

Mika Hakala  1 , Juha Rinne, Hasse Karlsson
Affiliations
Case Reports

Onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms after psychological trauma may result in erroneous diagnostic bias

Mika Hakala et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

We report a case of neuroacanthocytosis, which was misdiagnosed as conversion disorder. Because the onset was after a psychologically stressful physical trauma, the patient's symptoms were interpreted in terms of psychological regression. The case clearly points out the defects of descriptive psychiatric diagnosis, especially in the area of somatoformal disorders. It also reminds the clinicians to keep in mind rare neurological disorders as possible causes for psychiatric symptoms.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
An example of the patients 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET scan at the level of the basal ganglia. Note the absence of uptake in the caudate nucleus and putamen.
Figure 2
Figure 2
An example of 18F-fluorodopa (FDOPA) PET scan showing reduced uptake in the basal ganglia with putaminal predominance.
Figure 3
Figure 3
An example of brain MRI transaxial slice at the level of the basal ganglia with no lesions which could account for the defects in FDG and FDOPA scans.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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