Suspected Recurrence of Symptomatic COVID-19: Management During Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment

Psychosis during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of case reports and case series

BACKGROUND

Preliminary data suggest that patients with COVID-19 may experience psychiatric symptoms, including psychosis. We systematically reviewed the literature to evaluate the concurrence of new-onset psychosis or exacerbation of clinically stable psychosis through case reports and case series.

METHODS

Six databases were searched, followed by an electronic and manual search of the relevant articles. Studies were identified using predetermined eligibility criteria. We evaluated the demographic characteristics, clinical history, course of illness, management, and prognosis of the patients in these studies.

RESULTS

Case reports and case series, altogether consisting of 57 unique cases were included. The mean patient age for onset of psychotic symptoms was 43.4 years for men and 40.3 years for women. About 69% of patients had no prior history of psychiatric disorders. Most patients had mild COVID-19-related symptoms, with only 15 (26.3%) presenting with moderate to severe COVID-19-related disease and complications. The most commonly reported psychotic symptoms were delusions and hallucinations. Patients with psychotic symptoms were treated with antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, valproic acid, and electroconvulsive treatment. In 36 cases, psychotic symptoms resolved completely or improved significantly. Ten cases had partial improvement with residual psychotic symptoms, and one patient died due to cardiac arrest.

CONCLUSION

Most patients responded to a low-to-moderate dose of antipsychotics with a quick recovery. However, the residual psychiatric symptoms highlight the need for careful monitoring and longer follow-up. Clinicians should be mindful of the occurrence of psychosis due to COVID-19 infection in a subset of COVID-19 patients that can be misdiagnosed as a psychotic disorder alone.

Commentary on 2 Cases of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Occurring in Association With COVID-19

Two cases are presented involving neuropsychiatric symptoms occurring in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. The first case involved a middle-age man with no known psychiatric history who presented with acute psychotic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, disorganization) after recovery from a recent respiratory illness. This patient tested positive for COVID-19 on admission. The patient's symptoms were not consistent with delirium and testing did not suggest a neurological etiology. The patient's psychosis eventually resolved 6 weeks after its abrupt onset with treatment with antipsychotic medication. The second case involved a 44-year-old man with a history of depression and psychotic symptoms who presented after a serious suicide attempt and tested positive for COVID-19 on admission. The patient had subsequent negative tests while on the inpatient psychiatric unit before again testing positive later in his admission. The patient's positive COVID-19 tests appeared to coincide with exacerbations in his mood symptoms, which led to the suicide attempt and psychotic episode that initially caused his admission. This patient was successfully treated with clozapine. In both of these cases, the question arose as to whether there was a link between the COVID-19 infections and the neuropsychiatric symptoms. Growing evidence suggests that severe neuropsychiatric sequelae can develop after COVID-19 infection.