EC Psychology and Psychiatry

Narcolepsy is a rare, underrecognized and poorly diagnosed condition. It is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations. Excessive daytime sleepiness is the most important symptom and misdiagnoses other psychiatric disorders. There are different groups of patients suffering from narcolepsy with cataplexy and suffering from narcolepsy without cataplexy, which may be primary or secondary due to a medical condition. Narcolepsy is thought to be caused by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. The diagnosis of narcolepsy is based primarily on the clinical picture. On the other hand, in recent years there have been important developments in the treatment of sleep disorders in narcolepsy. Stimulants, modafinil, and antidepressants are pharmacological agents used to treat narcolepsy. Various clinical symptoms of narcolepsy may overlap with other mental illnesses. In this article, we have presented two cases. Our first case clinically resembled epilepsy and did not respond to antiepileptic treatment. After a thorough examination, the patient was diagnosed with narcolepsy, after which the treatment was successfully carried out [6]. And the second was manifested by depressive symptoms, depersonalization and derealization and did not respond to treatment with antidepressants. He was subjected to further testing and treated with stimulants after being diagnosed with narcolepsy. Awareness about narcolepsy is important for early detection of these cases and appropriate treatment. Thus, clinicians must be cautious about the various clinical characteristics of narcolepsy.

Keywords: Narcolepsy; Depression; Cataplexy

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