No abstract

We report about a woman of 60 years who received psychiatric inpatient treatment for an affective disorder with psychotic symptoms on several occasions. As time elapsed symptoms of dementia became more and more obvious. Despite a comprehensive workup with neuroimaging methods (SPECT, PET) the correct diagnosis of Huntington's Chorea was not attained until the characteristic movements appeared. Up till then pathologic movements had hardly occurred and there were no known cases of Huntington's Chorea in the family. This case is remarkable as the patient was not only treated with different antidepressants and antipsychotics but with a course of ECT too. Beyond this it shows the enormous stress this illness imposes on patients and their caregivers.