We present a case of new onset psychosis in the setting of thyroid storm in a woman with no previous psychiatric history. The patient presented with ongoing suicidal ideation, a suicide attempt that was interrupted by her husband, and audio and visual hallucinations. The patient was placed on a psychiatric hold and treated for thyrotoxicosis as well as psychosis. Treatment of the thyroid hormone overload resulted in a rapid resolution of her symptoms; she was discharged in excellent condition, and she has had no repeat hallucinations or self-injury ideation or attempts since. Although rare, thyrotoxicosis is a potentially life-threatening cause of psychiatric illness and should always be kept on the differential diagnosis for a patient with a first episode of psychosis. This case highlights how thyroid storm physiology, beyond its well-studied hemodynamic and metabolic instability, can be potentially fatal due to psychiatric sequelae. It also highlights the crucial role of a thorough history and physical exam in all patients.

Esteban Cota

Jacob Lentz

Gland New Psychosis: New Onset Adult Psychosis with Suicidal Ideation and Attempt in the Setting of Thyroid Storm

Erotomania is an uncommon form of delusional disorder in which an individual has an unfounded belief that another is in love with him. Previous case reports have shown that social media networks may play a role in worsening delusional beliefs. We report the case of a 24-year-old male college student that utilized social media to stalk a female college student, resulting in his suspension from school and hospitalization. The student was diagnosed with delusional disorder, erotomanic type, and started on risperidone. He showed little improvement and was transferred to another facility. This is the first identified case of social media triggering or exacerbating delusional disorder. We recommend increasing education on the ramifications of sharing personal information on social media.

Justin Faden

Jonathan Levin

Ronak Mistry

Jessica Wang

Delusional Disorder, Erotomanic Type, Exacerbated by Social Media Use

Functional retrograde autobiographical amnesia is often associated with physical and/or psychological trauma. On 11 March 2011, the largest earthquake on record in Japan took place, and subsequent huge tsunami devastated the Pacific coast of northern Japan. This case report describes a patient suffering from retrograde episodic-autobiographical amnesia for whole life, persisting for even more than five years after the disaster. A Japanese man, presumably in his 40s, got police protection in April 2016 but was unable to respond to question about his own name. He lost all information about his personal identity, and his memory was wholly lost until the disaster on 11 March 2011. He was able to recall his life after the disaster, and semantic memories and social abilities were largely preserved. A medical examination performed on 1 November 2016 verified that he was awake, alert, and oriented to time, place, and person (except for himself). General physical and neurological examinations revealed no pathological findings. He also experienced some symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and nightmares. No abnormalities were detected by biochemical test and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Physicians and other professionals who take care of victims of disaster should be aware of dissociative spectrum disorders, such as psychogenic amnesia.

Yuji Odagaki

A Case of Persistent Generalized Retrograde Autobiographical Amnesia Subsequent to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011

We present the case of a seventeen-year-old girl who presents with an interesting course of neuropsychiatric symptoms during several flares of SLE. The patient was diagnosed at the age of thirteen and has had four flares in total. The latter two flares included cutaneous and neuropsychiatric symptoms. The most recent flare occurred when she was aged seventeen. She had cutaneous symptoms which coincided with an episode of hypomania. Her mental state further deteriorated following steroid treatment. She exhibited affective and psychotic symptoms. Treatment with cyclophosphamide and olanzapine was associated with an improvement in both cutaneous and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Previously aged sixteen the patient had presented with cutaneous symptoms and a moderate depressive episode which was also exacerbated by steroid treatment. The patient&#x2019;s mood improved when the dose of oral steroids was reduced to a daily dose of 15&#x2013;20&#x2009;mg prednisolone.

Gareth Garrett

Nicola Ambrose

Zaib Davids

Dorothea Bindman

Course of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms during Flares of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

Historically, psychotic disorder has been associated with viral infection. Herpes simplex infections and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) among other viral infections have been implicated in psychotic disorder. Of note in this case report is psychotic disorder that occurred following reactivation of herpes simplex infection in a background of mannose-binding lecithin (MBL) deficiency, childhood EBV infection, and severe psychosocial stress. Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality despite advancement in its treatment with intravenous acyclovir. Many studies have reported psychiatric and neurological manifestation of herpes simplex infection following primary or reactivated infection, while others suggest milder clinical course of herpes simplex encephalitis in a background of immunosuppression. Another contributory factor to psychotic disorder in this case is childhood EBV exposure which has been reported to increase the risk of psychosis in adolescence and adulthood. This case report describes a 15-year-old female with MBL deficiency who presented with psychosis caused by reactivated herpes simplex infection and had good clinical recovery. Based on childhood Epstein-Barr virus exposure and psychosis in adolescence (current case), she is at increased risk of psychotic disorder in adulthood, which underscores the importance of long-term monitoring.

Kenneth Asogwa

Kwame Buabeng

Amarjit Kaur

Psychosis in a 15-Year-Old Female with Herpes Simplex Encephalitis in a Background of Mannose-Binding Lecithin Deficiency

Methoxetamine (MXE) is a ketamine analogue with a high affinity for the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. MXE is a newly emerging designer drug of abuse and is widely available through on-line sources and is not detected by routine urine drug screens. In this report, we describe a United States (US) veteran with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and heavy polysubstance use, who injected high dose MXE for its calming effect. Given MXE&#x2019;s structural similarities to ketamine and recent work showing that ketamine reduces PTSD symptoms, we hypothesize that MXE alleviated this veteran&#x2019;s PTSD symptoms through action at the NMDA receptor and via influences on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). To our knowledge, this is the first case report of self-reported use of MXE in the US veteran population. More awareness of designer drugs, such as MXE, is an important first step in engaging patients in the treatment of designer drug addiction in both military/veteran settings and civilian settings.

Joan M. Striebel

Emily E. Nelson

Raj K. Kalapatapu

&#x201c;Being with a Buddha&#x201d;: A Case Report of Methoxetamine Use in a United States Veteran with PTSD

Energy drinks (ED) are nonalcoholic beverages that have caffeine as their most common active substance. The rapid expansion of ED consumption has created concern in the scientific community as well as in the public opinion. We report a psychotic episode probably triggered by ED abuse in a young adult without previous psychotic disorders. We have reviewed the literature regarding the relationship between caffeine, energy drinks, and psychopathology. Few articles have been published about mental health effects of energy drinks and caffeine abuse. Nevertheless, this relationship has been suggested, specifically with anxiety disorders, manic episodes, suicide attempts, psychotic decompensation, and substance use disorder. ED consumption could represent a global public health problem because of the potential severe adverse effects in mental and physical health. To our knowledge, this article is probably the first case of psychosis related to ED abuse in an individual without previous psychotic disorders.

Daniel Hernandez-Huerta

Maria Martin-Larregola

Jorge Gomez-Arnau

Javier Correas-Lauffer

Helen Dolengevich-Segal

Psychopathology Related to Energy Drinks: A Psychosis Case Report

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Case Reports in Psychiatry - Table of contents 2017

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Case Reports in Psychiatry publishes case reports and case series in all areas of psychiatry.

Case Reports in Psychiatry