PROGRESSIVE DISINTEGRATIVE PSYCHOSIS OF CHILDHOOD

The literature concerning dementia and disintegrative psychosis in childhood was reviewed. Two cases with different neurodegenerative disorders presenting with late juvenile onset psychiatric symptoms were described. The diagnostic category of progressive disintegrative psychosis was appropriate to describe the clinical psychiatric picture in these children. Because of the rarity of such conditions further collaboration between child psychiatrists, pediatric neurologists and neuropathologists was needed to delineate further the psychiatric syndromes associated with the neurodegenerative disorders.