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Psychosis and COVID-19: About a case

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

T. Ponte*
Affiliation:
Psiquiatría, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain
S. Castelao-Almodóvar
Affiliation:
Psiquiatría, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain
B. Sanz-Aranguez
Affiliation:
Psiquiatría, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain
E. Gil-Benito
Affiliation:
Psiquiatría, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain
J. Herranz
Affiliation:
Psiquiatría, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Cases of psychosis are being reported in people infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The relationship between psychosis and corticosteroids treatment is well known. However, there are relatively limited data so far correlating psychosis and SARS-CoV-2.

Objectives

To describe a case of manic psychosis in a 55-year-old woman treated with corticosteroids for COVID-19 infection. Discuss the etiopathogenic factors involved in psychosis in patients infected by COVID-19.

Methods

We present the case of a 55-year-old woman, without previous psychiatric history, who was admitted to psychiatry due to a psychotic episode with maniac symptoms. Three weeks earlier, the patient had been admitted to Internal Medicine for bilateral SArs-CoV2 pneumonia, under treatment with high doses of corticosteroids. The patient presents a verbose and salty speech, euphoric mood with hyperergia, subjective increase of capacities, insomnia and delusional ideation with mystical-spiritual content with delusional interpretations and auditory hallucinations. The patient comes from Ukraine and she has been living in Spain for 20 years. She works as a household assistant. The patient relates various psychosocial stressors throughout her life.

Results

Complementary diagnostic tests were without alterations. Low-dose antipsychotic treatment is prescribed, with a rapid recovery within a week. Finally, the patient showed complete insight of the episode and was discharged from the hospital being asymptomatic.

Conclusions

It would be interesting to publish the reported cases of psychosis and infection by COVID-19 as well as to investigate the etiopathogenic factors that may be contributing to the development of psychosis in patients infected by the virus.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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