Pseudonarcolepsy in an 11-year-old boy.

Narcolepsy is a common disorder with a prevalence of 0.56/1000. Patients present with a classic tetrad of excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations, which is seen only rarely in children. The term ;narcolepsy' is taken from Greek and means ;seized by somnolence'; it was first described in 1880 by Gelineau. This article is a case study of an 11-year-old male with pseudonarcolepsy. He presented to accident and emergency with episodes of falling asleep at inappropriate and unexpected times, often falling to the floor. Pseudonarcolepsy is a term coined to describe the phenomenon in which a patient presents with the symptoms and signs of narcolepsy, but the origin is psychogenic. Differential diagnosis, investigation and possible aetiology are discussed, along with treatment and outcome.