Psychiatria pre prax 1/2020

When the soul communicates through the body - case report of the treatment of the patient with psychogenic cough

The human body and mind are intensely interconnected. Somatic and mental disorders often overlap in humans and sometimes have the same clinical manifestation. In such cases is the distinction between them a diagnostic puzzle. We present the case report of a 9-year-old patient who was not seen by a child psychiatrist or psychologist before hospitalization at the Department of Pediatric Psychiatry of the National Institute of Children´s Diseases in Bratislava. She was hospitalized because of the difficulties that suddenly and significantly affected the quality of life of the patient and her family. The cause of the health problems seemed to be somatic at first sight. The patient was troubled by an intense dry cough with a negative laboratory results that were not indicating inflammation. The cough did not respond to antitussic treatment, persisted all day, prevented the patient from talking, eating, practicing any kind of activity, and severely troubled her. The case report records essential information from her history, the course of hospitalization and treatment of the patient.

Keywords: psychogenic cough, child psychiatry, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy