Psychiatria pre prax 3/2012

Pathological intoxication

The paper presents the views on pathological intoxication, a rare condition that can be characterized as an abnormal response to alcohol use; its main symptom is a qualitative disorder of consciousness in the form of obnubilation. Diagnosing this condition is of essential importance in forensic psychiatry; when a crime was committed during its course, the findings of an expert assessment concerning the loss of cognitive and control capacities consequently imply declaring insanity. The opinions on the causative factors of pathological intoxication vary, particularly in relation to what degree organic brain involvement, a pathological EEG finding, the amount of alcohol used and a number of other supportive or less significant factors contribute; the author considers as decisive for diagnosing pathological intoxication the presence of typical psychopathological features including pathological behaviour with psychotic motivation that is in conflict with a premorbid personality. In accordance with numerous other authors, he holds the opinion that the level of alcoholaemia cannot be an exclusion criterion for establishing the diagnosis of pathological intoxication.

Keywords: pathological intoxication, complicated intoxication, clouding of consciousness, psychotic motivation, acting in conflict with premorbid personality, alcoholaemia, significance for forensic assessment.