Attempted Child-stealing: post-ictal psychosis and psychological distress

Baby-stealing is probably one of the more taboo crimes in our society. Its connection with psychological distress, while generally acknowledged, is no t always well understood. In this paper we present an unusual and complex c ase of a woman who attempted to steal young babies while in a state of extr eme psychological distress following epileptic seizures. While the post-epi leptic state was characterized as 'psychotic' there were clear psychologica l antecedents to explain the form in which the postictal psychosis was expr essed Treatment strategies included modification of medication regime and u se of cognitive therapy to ameliorate the impact of postictal confusion.