# Pediatric Patient With Neurofibromatosis I Presenting With Perceptual Disturbances and a Suicide Attempt

## TL;DR

A child with neurofibromatosis I experienced hallucinations and suicidal thoughts, possibly due to brain lesions linked to the condition.

## Contribution

This case highlights brain lesions in neurofibromatosis I as a potential medical cause of psychosis in pediatric patients.

## Key findings

- The patient had multiple non-enhancing brain lesions consistent with neurofibromatosis I.
- These lesions may explain the patient's perceptual disturbances and psychiatric symptoms.
- The case emphasizes the importance of considering neurological causes in pediatric psychiatric presentations.

## Abstract

This is a case of a pediatric patient with a history of neurofibromatosis I (NFI) presenting to the emergency department secondary to a suicide attempt via self-strangulation after being verbally and physically bullied at school. Upon hospital admission, the 10-year-old patient was found to have significant auditory and visual perceptual hallucinations in addition to suicidal ideations, for which psychiatry was consulted. The patient underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to evaluate for intracranial neurofibromas as a potential etiology of his behavior. There is evidence that the growth of neurofibromas in the brain can be associated with psychosis. His brain MRI was significant for multiple foci of non-enhancing lesions seen in the cerebellum, white matter, supratentorial white matter, and bilateral hippocampi that can be seen in NFI, highlighting a medical etiology for the patient’s auditory and visual perceptual disturbances. The objective of this case report is to explore medical causes of psychosis including metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disturbances, parathyroid diseases, genetic disorders (Fragile X, Prader-Willi, etc.), autoimmune disorders, multiple sclerosis, temporal lobe epilepsy, infections, and brain tumors.