[Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in the psychiatric consultation room]

: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a potentially disabling disorder of the autonomic nervous system. In addition to the characteristic tachycardia in verticalization, this syndrome is accompanied by a range of other complaints such as brain fog, dizziness, cognitive dysregulation , sleeping problems, fatigue and gastrointestinal disorders. Due to the unfamiliarity with this syndrome, the somatic symptom pattern is often misinterpreted as anxiety or mood symptoms with referral to psychiatry. When during psychiatric evaluation POTS diagnosis is missed, the patient is denied adequate cardiological treatment and iatrogenic damage can occur through psychiatric or psychological treatment. Since POTS can also occur after COVID infection, this syndrome will increasingly appear in the psychiatrist's differential diagnosis due to rising prevalence.: We describe a 24-year-old woman who had been treated unsuccessfully for 13 years in mental health care for anxiety complaints and development stagnation, during which she also experienced dizziness, palpitations, and other physical complaints. The cardiologist diagnosed and treated POTS, after which her symptoms decreased significantly.