[Coincidence of epilepsy and psychosis in a 16-year old female patient (author's transl)].

The literature on the correlation of epilepsy and psychosis is reviewed briefly. The terms "forced normalization" and "alternative psychosis" and further the risk factors in the genesis of psychosis in epilepsy are underlined with special emphasis on childhood and adolescence. Furthermore the case of a girl aged 16.7 years is reported. This girl developed blinking fits at the age of 7 years and in 1978 at the age of 16 paranoid-hallucinatory symptoms with temporarily increasing paroxysmal potentials in the EEG following an initial depressive phase. Phenytoin and Valproate was administered. The psychotic and epileptic symptoms diminished with simultaneous amelioration of the EEG. After discharge a neuroleptic medication was added temporarily due to slight exacerbation of the psychotic symptoms. Finally risk factors of psychosis in epilepsy are considered with special respect of mental retardation and age of the patient.