Abstract

Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder that might cause severe morbidity and functional deterioration with a wide range of complicated symptoms and no clear identified aetiology. The condition is even more difficult to be recognised in children as clinical picture and symptoms vary and interchange even further. With this report, we aimed to present an 11- year old case diagnosed with narcolepsy in a child psychiatry unit along with relevant literature. Psychiatric assessment of the case that applied to our child psychiatry unit was carried out by using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5) criteria. Detailed clinical examination, neurological tests and imaging as well as polysomnography were made. The case was diagnosed with Narcolepsy. She clinically improved with a combined treatment regimen of methylphenydate- OROS and behavioral therapy for sleep pattern and hygiene. She is still being followed up in our unit. As narcolepsy is a less common condition encountered in child psychiatry settings and symptoms might mimic other neurological and psychiatric conditions, in turn, lessening the odds to recognise early on, we believe that we, as child psychiatrists, need to bear this disorder in our minds for differential diagnosis. Since current treatment options mainly target visible symptoms, developing novel treatment strategies directed towards underlying aetiology would be important. In that sense, we believe that increasing the number of case studies and researches in this understudied field of child psychiatry shall contribute greatly to have a better understanding of the disorder.