Psychosis following stab brain injury by a billiard stick

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury sometimes can lead to psychotic disorder which resembles schizophrenia. We report a 17-yearold boy, admitted to psychiatric department for psychotic symptomatology. He had suffered penetrating craniocerebral injury after stabbing by a billiard stick, three years earlier. On admission, he expressed delusions with paranoid and religious content. The magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a 10 cm large tubular area of posttraumatic encephalomalacia of the left hemisphere, whereas the electroencephalography revealed slow left temporal activity. The patient's recovery was uneventful with clozapine at a dosage of 100 mg daily. This case shows the diagnostic challenge in differentiation between schizophrenia and psychotic disorder due to traumatic brain injury. The authors emphasise the importance of imaging of the brain, especially magnetic resonance, in establishing the diagnosis of psychotic disorder due to traumatic brain injury.