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<p>Presented here is the unique case of diagnostic investigation for a 16 year old male presenting in an acute state of apparent psychosis. The patient had a long history of previous specialist work-ups, tentative diagnoses, multiple emergency department admissions, and medication trials, all of which failed to produce significant lasting relief. While initial encounters diagnostically centered on autoimmune encephalitis, comprehensive work-ups always drove the differential towards a likely psychiatric disorder. Despite this consistent professional opinion, tentative diagnosis of schizophrenia with underlying Autism Spectrum Disorder was delayed for many years, due to a variety of complicating factors. Overall, this case highlights many different considerations that might assist in avoiding a protracted road to diagnosis, including navigating the obstacles that parental interaction with a complex healthcare system can pose during diagnostic evaluation and recommended treatment as well as, the role of re-interpreting past test results within the context of new literature, and the complexities of diagnosing comorbid psychiatric conditions.</p>
</abstract>

Presented here is the unique case of diagnostic investigation for a 16 year old male presenting in an acute state of apparent psychosis. The patient had a long history of previous specialist work-ups, tentative diagnoses, multiple emergency department admissions, and medication trials, all of which failed to produce significant lasting relief. While initial encounters diagnostically centered on autoimmune encephalitis, comprehensive work-ups always drove the differential towards a likely psychiatric disorder. Despite this consistent professional opinion, tentative diagnosis of schizophrenia with underlying Autism Spectrum Disorder was delayed for many years, due to a variety of complicating factors. Overall, this case highlights many different considerations that might assist in avoiding a protracted road to diagnosis, including navigating the obstacles that parental interaction with a complex healthcare system can pose during diagnostic evaluation and recommended treatment as well as, the role of re-interpreting past test results within the context of new literature, and the complexities of diagnosing comorbid psychiatric conditions.

Obstacles to diagnostic investigation of a child with comorbid psychiatric conditions

Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Presented here is the unique case of diagnostic investigation for a 16 year old male presenting in an acute state of apparent psychosis. The patient had a long...

Obstacles to diagnostic investigation of a child with comorbid psychiatric conditions

Article Category: research-article

Published Online: Jun 15, 2021

Page range: 105 - 112

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/sjcapp-2021-012

Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, autoimmune encephalitis, chromosomal microduplication

© 2021 Jena Salem et al., published by sciendo.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Obstacles to diagnostic investigation of a child with comorbid psychiatric conditions

Article Category: research-article

Published Online: Jun 15, 2021

Page range: 105 - 112

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/sjcapp-2021-012

Keywordsautism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, autoimmune encephalitis, chromosomal microduplication

© 2021 Jena Salem et al., published by sciendo.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, autoimmune encephalitis, chromosomal microduplication