Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder Manifesting as Auditory Verbal Agnosia in a 19-Year-Old Patient.

Functional neurological symptom disorder (FNSD), otherwise known as conversion disorder (CD), is a condition in which neurological deficits cannot solely be explained by medical pathology. Auditory verbal agnosia (AVA) is the inability to understand speech. While these two conditions are well-documented independently, a case of FNSD manifesting as AVA has not been previously reported.

Nicotinic ganglionic acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies associated with paraneoplastic disease in a neuropsychiatric patient.

Nicotinic ganglionic acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies (alpha-3-AChR Ab) are associated with paraneoplastic syndromes when present in low elevations. These antibodies can be tested for as part of an autoimmune encephalopathy panel in neuropsychiatric patients; a mildly elevated titre of alpha-3-AChR Ab that may start as an incidental finding can lead to the diagnosis of a previously undetected cancer. While alpha-3-AChR Ab are most typically associated with thymomas and small cell lung cancer, the presence of these antibodies can suggest a diverse range of other cancers.

Improving Knowledge and Increasing Use of a Screening Tool in an Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic.

Less than half of providers use screening tools to diagnose adult psychiatric patients. The bipolar population is specifically vulnerable to an inaccurate diagnosis. The goal of this project was to improve use of screening tools, specifically the HCL-32 in a rural adult psychiatric clinic.