Schizophreniform psychosis in a case of mycoplasma pneumoniae encephalitis

A case of a 9-year-old girl with subacute schizophreniform psychosis following infection with mycoplasma pneumoniae is reported. A hasty--and faulty--etiological diagnosis of disturbed family interaction caused additional suffering in a situation in which worries were already overwhelming. A meticulous search for underlying organic background as well as for psychosocial factors is called for in every case of atypical schizophreniform psychosis.