RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fifteen-minute consultation: an approach to a child presenting to the emergency department with acute psychotic symptoms
JF Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition
JO Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP edpract-2017-313386
DO 10.1136/archdischild-2017-313386
A1 Anil Vasudev Israni
A1 Sumant Kumar
A1 Nahin Hussain
YR 2017
UL http://ep.bmj.com/content/early/2017/12/08/archdischild-2017-313386.abstract
AB Presentation of a child in the A&E with altered behaviour including psychotic features is not unusual. New-onset psychotic symptoms in children pose a significant diagnostic challenge due to several reasons. First, primary psychotic conditions are uncommon in pre-pubertal children. Second, differentiating between delirium and psychosis can be difficult in children, more so in infants, toddlers and young children. Third, intervening and managing a secondary cause of psychosis can significantly optimise outcome. Prompt recognition of a possible underlying cause for a child’s psychotic behaviour is essential, and at the same time challenging, in the emergency department. This article attempts to present a systematic approach to a child with acute onset of psychotic symptoms in an emergency setting.