CASE A rapid decline
Ms. D, age 62, presents to a psychiatric emergency room (ER) after experiencing visual hallucinations, exhibiting odd behaviors, and having memory problems. On interview, she is disoriented, distractible, tearful, and tangential. She plays with her shirt and glasses, and occasionally shouts. She perseverates on “the aerialists,” acrobatic children she has been seeing in her apartment. She becomes distressed and shouts, “I would love to just get them!”
Ms. D is unable to provide an account of her history. Collateral information is obtained from her daughter, who has brought Ms. D to the ER for evaluation. She reports that her mother has no relevant medical or psychiatric history, and does not take any medications, except a mixture of Chinese herbs that she brews into a tea.
Ms. D’s daughter says that her mother began to deteriorate 5 months ago, after she traveled to California to care for her sister, who was seriously ill and passed away. After Ms. D returned, she would cry frequently. She also appeared “spaced out,” complained of feeling dizzy, and frequently misplaced belongings. Three months before presenting to the ER, she began to experience weakness, fatigue, and difficulty walking. Her daughter became more worried 2 months ago, when Ms. D began sleeping with her purse and hiding her belongings around their house. When asked about these odd behaviors, Ms. D claimed that “the aerialists” were climbing through her windows at night and stealing her things.
A week before seeking treatment at the ER, Ms. D’s daughter had taken her to a neurologist at another facility for clinical evaluation. An MRI of the brain showed minimal dilation in the subarachnoid space and a focal 1 cm lipoma in the anterior falx cerebri, but was otherwise unremarkable. However, Ms. D’s symptoms continued to worsen, and began to interfere with her ability to care for herself.
The team in the psychiatric ER attributes Ms. D’s symptoms to a severe, psychotic depressive episode. They admit her to the psychiatric inpatient unit for further evaluation.
Continue to: The authors' observations