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Depressive pseudodementia in a child with autism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2004

Andrew J Pollard  and
Michael Prendergast
Andrew J Pollard
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, Department of Paediatrics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Michael Prendergast
Affiliation:
Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
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Abstract

Depression is rare in early childhood and unusual in autism in this age group. We describe a female child aged 6 years with autism who presented with regression of developmental skills previously gained. Her sleep and appetite were poor, her affect was sad, and she had morbid speech content. She responded to treatment with antidepressant medication. When this clinical picture occurs in adults it is called depressive pseudodementia; paediatric neurologists and neuropsychiatrists need to be aware of it in children.

Type
Case Report
Information
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology , Volume 46 , Issue 7 , July 2004 , pp. 485 - 489
Copyright
© 2004 Mac Keith Press

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