Revista de Psiquiatría Infanto-Juvenil

Can a bacteria require psychotherapy?

Delia Argüelles Balas — 2025-09-20

Introduction: Neuropsychiatric symptoms in childhood pose a significant clinical challenge due to their emotional impact on families and the complexity of their diagnosis. Tics are particularly challenging because of their frequency and the wide range of potential underlying causes that must be considered. Among these, Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) remain a controversial entity, with diagnostic criteria still under review and no definitive consensus. Case report: This article presents the case of a child who experiences a sudden worsening of tic and associated neuropsychiatric symptoms, along with the most relevant clinical data supporting the diagnosis. Discussion and conclusion: This clinical case provides further evidence as to the potential existence of PANDAS as a differential diagnosis, highlighting the need for continued investigation into its mechanisms, validity and management in clinical practice.

Hallucinosis between neurosis and psychosis, report of clinical case

María Cristina Herrero Rodríguez — 2025-09-20

Introduction: Emotional development during childhood and adolescence is determined by several factors and is a critical stage in personal and social progress. During this period, perceptual disturbances such as hallucinations may develop. They are relatively frequent and transitory, so their diagnosis is oriented towards a non-psychotic process process, although traditionally they have been linked to severe mental disorder. Description of clinical case: We present the clinical case of a male with auditory hallucinations at the age of 15 years, depressive symptoms, high anxiety and traumatic experiences with admissions in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The patient's symptomatology has fluctuated, reaching periods of stability, and it is crucial to carry out an adequate differential diagnosis because auditory hallucinations may be present in organic conditions, affective disorders, dissociative disorders, adaptive disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychotic disorders such as early-onset psychosis (EOP) or psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). In our case, the contact and evolution do not suggest a well-defined psychotic structure, rather, the symptomatology is characterized by affective, obsessive, dissociative, or trauma-related features, and occasionally psychotic nature. Discussion and conclusions: The patient's age, evolution and treatment will be the key in clarifying the potential progression towards chronicity or psychotic pathology.

Autismo y Neurodivergencia. What is in a name?

Mara Parellada Redondo — 2025-09-20

En griego, “autos” significa propio, uno mismo, y “ismo” da cuenta de una doctrina, escuela o movimiento.

La primera vez que se utiliza de forma generalizada el término autismo en psiquiatría fue cuando Bleuler, en 1911, dio nombre a un síntoma frecuente en la esquizofrenia consistente en la retracción del mundo social hacia el mundo interno en personas previamente conectadas socialmente con lo exterior (1). El síntoma autismo implicaba un mundo interno instalado en la fantasía, con alucinaciones y delirios. En ese uso se mantuvo el término hasta los años 70 del siglo XX, momento en que la clasificación americana de trastornos mentales, en su versión DSM-III de 1980 (2) diferenció los cuadros clínicos de niños que presentaban desconexión con el mundo social desde la infancia, a los que se dio el término “Trastornos Generalizados del Desarrollo”, TGD, incluyendo el autismo como uno de ellos, de los trastornos psicóticos como la esquizofrenia, en los que dejó de referirse a autismo como uno de sus síntomas. Este nuevo concepto, TGD, se consensuó tras los resultados de estudios comparativos de autismo y esquizofrenia y en su incorporación fue fundamental la figura de Michael Rutter.

Description of a clinical sample of patients with Borderline Intellectual Functioning at a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre: pilot test promoted by the Government of Catalonia

David Losada Brunet — 2025-09-20

Introduction: Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) refers to individuals with an IQ score ranging from 71 to 84 and difficulties associated with cognitive, social and functional development. Although it does not have clearly defined criteria and is not considered a diagnostic category (but rather a condition), it has been found to be an important risk factor for poorer overall adaptation and the onset of psychopathology. Objective: To descriptively evaluate two variables from a clinical sample of patients with BIF detected at the Gironès i Pla de l'Estany Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre (CSMIJ) during 2022: age of first visit at the centre and associated comorbidities. Materials and methods: As part of the multidisciplinary BIF pilot test approved by the Government of Catalonia in 2021, together with other mental health centres and services, 114 cases of patients with BIF (75% male) were evaluated according to the protocol in place. Results: Most patients visited the Mental Health Centre for the first time between the ages of 8 and 10. The most frequent comorbid diagnoses associated with BIF were general developmental disorders (29.16%), hyperkinetic disorders (27.5%) and conduct disorder (14.16%). Conclusions: The initial treatment plan at the Mental Health Centre includes addressing the patient and their families based on the difficulties assessed and the associated comorbidities, which are important characteristics in patients with BIF.

Infancia y pantallas: proteger la salud mental en la era digital

Abigail Huertas Patón — 2025-09-20

En pocos años, las pantallas interactivas se han convertido en el escenario principal donde niños y adolescentes aprenden, se comunican y construyen su identidad. La digitalización ofrece oportunidades extraordinarias, pero también riesgos inéditos para la salud mental y el desarrollo. Hoy sabemos que no se trata únicamente de cuántas horas pasan conectados, sino de qué consumen, en qué contexto y con qué acompañamiento.