[The current understanding of so-called exceptional states in the forensic psychiatry clinic].

Exceptional conditions distinguished in forensic psychiatry represent a clinically heterogeneous group which is predominantly composed of brief psychic disorders associated with impaired consciousness which are presented by the conventionally distinguished variants of exceptional states (pathological intoxication, pathological affect, a short-circuit reaction) and are expressed clinically in the same psychopathological syndrome (twilight loss of consciousness). Two forms of this syndrome have been identified on the basis of etiopathological mechanisms of the syndrome, namely organic twilight states and psychogenic or affectogenic twilight states. Clinical descriptions of various types of twilight loss of consciousness is presented.