Psychotic Symptoms After SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) has been associated with various neurological and psychiatric complications.
• New-onset psychosis is a rare but serious potential sequela.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report and analyze cases of new-onset psychosis with manic characteristics following COVID-19 infection.
• To explore potential pathogenetic mechanisms and differential diagnoses.

Main Methods:

• Case series methodology.
• Clinical observation and case history analysis of three affected male patients.
• Review of psychiatric and medical records.

Main Results:

• Three middle-aged males without prior psychiatric history developed psychotic symptoms post-COVID-19.
• Symptoms included mystic/paranoid delusions, euphoria, logorrhea, insomnia, and bizarre behaviors.
• Two patients required hospitalization; one received corticosteroids. Antipsychotic treatment led to symptom improvement within weeks.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 infection may be linked to new-onset psychosis with manic features.
• Potential causes include inflammatory responses and corticosteroid use.
• Further research is needed to establish causality between COVID-19 and psychotic symptoms.