Case Reports in Psychiatry最新文献

A 57-year-old woman with bipolar disorder (BD) was started on combination therapy with aripiprazole and lithium. At the same time, a community pharmacist administered follow-up through 24-h telephone services for the early detection of adverse events. Four days after starting therapy, the patient called a community pharmacy after working hours and mentioned the occurrence of disabilities, possibly due to adverse effects, including extrapyramidal symptoms (EPSs), to the pharmacist who received the forwarded call. The community pharmacist immediately called the hospital to report the patient's problems and suggested a decrease in doses or withdrawal of the suspected medications to the prescribing doctor. After several hours, the hospital called and informed the pharmacist that the doctor had instructed the patient to discontinue aripiprazole. The pharmacist immediately called the patient, explained the doctor's instructions, and found that the EPS symptoms improved gradually, except for difficulty speaking smoothly. Ultimately, valproic acid was prescribed instead of lithium, resulting in a dramatic improvement in speech difficulties. These results indicate that community pharmacist-administered follow-up and intervention, especially through 24-h telephone services, is crucial for drug safety management, such as early detection of adverse events caused by combination therapy in patients with BD.

Aviophobia, that is, fear of flying, is a common type of anxiety disorder. Benzodiazepines are used in the treatment of anxiety. Liraglutide is a treatment for obesity or overweight in combination with weight-related comorbidity. We present the case of a 23-year-old woman with overweight and aviophobia, who used clonazepam as antianxious protection when flying. When taking liraglutide shortly before clonazepam the efficacy of clonazepam seemed absent as the patient experienced a panic attack at the airport. This finding suggests that liraglutide may interfere with clonazepam and reduce its effect. Further research is needed to establish this association.

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health disorder characterized by an array of symptoms, leading to impairment of functioning. Many patients with schizophrenia tend to have long-stay hospitalizations due to several factors, one of them being the repatriation process. Case Presentation: I report the case of a 29-year-old male foreign citizen who presented with auditory hallucinations, paranoid delusions, and aggressiveness. The patient had a history of multiple admissions due to poor drug adherence. After being admitted to the psychiatry ward, the patient was improved and ready for discharge after 4 weeks but struggled to remember his relatives' phone numbers. Due to financial constraints and poor support, the repatriation process was delayed for 160 days. Conclusion: The present case highlights the challenges in managing schizophrenia abroad, urging international protocols to streamline the repatriation process and address financial, logistical, and social barriers for improved outcomes.

Introduction: There has been a recent significant increase in medical cannabis prescribing in Australia despite weak evidence for its effectiveness in treating the most common indications. Concern has been raised about the potential harms of inappropriate prescription of cannabis; however, there have been no prior published cases of psychosis secondary to medicinal cannabis in Australia. Case Presentation: We present a case of a 21-year-old Indigenous male with psychosis following switching from illicitly obtained cannabis to prescription cannabis, which resulted in Othello delusions towards his partner, violence towards her and ultimately an attempt to end his life. Discussion: Cannabis use is linked to the development of a psychotic illness whether it is prescribed or obtained illicitly. People who are prescribed cannabis are also at an elevated risk of developing cannabis use disorder (CUD). Cannabis prescribers need to screen for risk factors of drug-induced psychosis such as a family member with a psychotic illness, review patients regularly and provide harm minimisation advice to prevent damage from their prescription. Conclusion: There are clear dangers to overprescribing medicinal cannabis and the care that needs to be taken by prescribers to avoid them. There is a need for a change in the regulation of cannabis prescribing in Australia. Further research is warranted on the effects of the increase in prevalence of cannabis prescribing.

Nightmares and flashbacks are common debilitating symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that can disrupt daily functioning. Prazosin, an alpha-1 adrenergic antagonist, has been commonly used off-label for the treatment of these intrusion symptoms, although its short half-life makes it so that often multiple doses are needed. Doxazosin, another alpha-1 antagonist, is starting to be investigated in the treatment of PTSD-related nightmares due to its lesser side effect profile and longer half-life. In our case series, we present three cases of patients with PTSD-related nightmares who were successfully treated with doxazosin following a relapse of symptoms after discontinuation of prazosin for various reasons. The success of doxazosin immediate release for PTSD-related nightmares warrants further studies into its efficacy and use as an alternative treatment to prazosin.

Bupropion is an atypical antidepressant indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and smoking cessation. It is also used off-label for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Its mechanism of action includes the selective norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). The drug is available in immediate-release (IR), sustained-release (SR), and extended-release (XL) formulations. Common side effects are typically mild and include anxiety, insomnia, headache, dizziness, constipation, and nausea. Rarely, cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions may occur. We describe a 23-year-old man who developed severe and diffuse urticaria and angioedema 4 weeks after initiation of bupropion XL for MDD and ADHD. The bupropion was stopped, and he was treated with levocetirizine, diphenhydramine (oral and topical), and methylprednisolone with complete resolution of his symptoms within 2 weeks. Due to a good initial therapeutic response to the medication, a trial of bupropion SR was initiated. The patient again had a favorable therapeutic response without any dermatologic side effects.

Delusional parasitosis is a psychotic disorder where the patient has the delusion of being infested with some insect or parasite. In contrast, shared paranoid disorder or folie à deux is described when the same delusions affect two or more closely related people. It is common for these two situations to cause comorbidity in the family unit. This case report concerns a couple married for 37 years. The husband described that 2 years ago, he began with a tingling sensation throughout his body, related to the presence of parasites coming out from all his body orifices, with no evidence of self-harm. Likewise, the wife reported symptoms of formication and the feeling that there were invisible animals, as mentioned by her husband, and that she felt the parasites running throughout her body. The husband was diagnosed with endoparasitic delusional parasitosis, which caused folie à deux in his wife due to ectoparasitic parasitosis. The patient's treatment included sertraline and risperidone in oral dosage lasting 3 months reducing delirium, later biperidene was prescribed due to main treatment's side effects such as akathisia and sialorrhea, however the patient could not take the medication due to economic reasons. The wife was asked to sleep in a separate room, and she reported that the sensory hallucinations disappeared as soon as she slept in a different room. We conclude that the pharmacological approach, the intervention in the family life, and the gradual reintegration of marital habits once the patient improves are crucial in the therapy of delusional disorder.

Kinesin family member 11 (KIF11)-associated disorder, a rare condition caused by autosomal dominant mutations in the KIF11 gene, presents with microcephaly, chorioretinal dysplasia, lymphoedema, and varying degrees of intellectual disability. While intellectual disability is often described in the literature on KIF11 mutations, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are only mentioned by a few authors but not thoroughly investigated. We present a case report of an 8-year-old boy with KIF11-associated disorder alongside ADHD and ASD but without intellectual disability. Genetic testing confirmed a KIF11 mutation. Cognitive, language, and motor assessments revealed delays in fine motor skills and attention deficits. The diagnosis of ADHD was confirmed by a child neurologist through multidisciplinary investigations, while the ASD diagnosis was established by a child psychiatrist. Despite the challenges of delayed psychiatric assessment, interventions including physiotherapy and medication management were initiated with positive results. We designed a parent support group survey that showed a higher prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children with KIF11 mutations compared to the general population. Therefore, low-threshold referrals to a child psychiatrist have to be made when the potential presence of developmental problems is suspected. Collaboration between ophthalmologists, paediatricians, and child psychiatrists is crucial for early detection and intervention. Addressing developmental disorders promptly improves long-term outcomes and enhances quality of life. Moreover, gaining a deeper understanding of the higher prevalence of ASD and ADHD in individuals with KIF11 mutations could offer valuable insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders.

Agitated depression, also known as melancholia agitata, is a variant of depression characterized by severe symptoms of psychomotor agitation, inner unrest, anxiety, restlessness, prominent vegetative symptoms, and a high risk of suicide. This form of depression is reported to worsen with antidepressants and potentially improve with the use of ECT, lithium, antiepileptics, antipsychotics, and benzodiazepines. We describe a case of a 73-year-old female with a prior history of depression and generalized anxiety disorder who was maintained on flurazepam for 44 years and was admitted for severe depression with psychomotor agitation, prominent vegetative symptoms, thought perseveration, indecisiveness, and psychotic features that emerged following the discontinuation of flurazepam. Symptoms did not resolve with the use of alternative benzodiazepines such as nitrazepam and temazepam and further worsened with the use of several antidepressants. She finally had a complete resolution of these symptoms with a combination of alprazolam, zopiclone, and olanzapine. This case provides insight into this unique variant of depression and the role of GABA agonists in its pathology and management.

Phagophobia is a rare and debilitating mental health condition characterized by an intense fear of choking solid food or liquids. Usually there is no underlying anatomical or physiological abnormalities. Choking phobia can lead to the avoidance of solid foods and liquids. This can give rise to other psychiatric disorders like major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. Only few case reports of choking phobia are available in the literature. Here we present the case of a middle-aged man, with a 10-year history of fear of choking, starting after an aspiration episode and later maintained by a similar episode. The patient felt that food would be stuck in the windpipe, and he could not breathe while swallowing solid food and liquids. This eventually led to reduced eating and drinking causing significant weight loss. He also isolated himself and became depressed. After several searches for help in somatic healthcare, including surgery for deviated nasal septum, the patient was finally investigated in a psychiatric clinic and treated with pharmacological measures and behavioral therapy with considerable improvement within a few months. Choking phobia can mimic different physical conditions and is often misdiagnosed. Early recognition and timely referral to mental health professionals are vital for effective management.