Psychiatric sequelae of diencephalic tumors in children. 3 case reports

Three cases of behavioral disorders in children previously treated for a diencephalic tumor are reported. In such cases, classical psychiatric evaluation is difficult because reference data on childhood psycho-organic syndromes are lacking. Another complicating feature is that multiple factors contribute to the impairment of social interactions, including maladaptive reactions to disease-related stress, sensory deficits, and cognitive disorders. A structured evaluation should be performed in order to assess the child's behavior, the psychological and educational environment, and impairment of neuropsychological and neurophysiological function.