A Case of Brief Psychotic Disorder: An Unintended Consequence of COVID-19 Virus

Abstract

Brief psychotic disorder is a sudden onset of psychosis in a patient for a duration of more than a day and less than a month. The DSM-5 defines brief psychotic disorder as a psychotic condition involving the sudden onset of at least one psychotic symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought processes, disorganized speech and/or behaviors. This condition can also be associated with impaired memory of recent events, screaming, mutism, outlandish dressing, or behaviors. Acute psychotic symptoms can be associated with emotional lability often triggered by substance abuse or severe and acute stress such as the loss of a loved one. Patients ultimately receive the diagnosis of schizophrenia if the symptoms persist for a duration longer than six months. Brief psychotic disorder is often diagnosed in teenage patients, but it is less commonly seen in the females. Although the exact pathophysiology of brief psychotic disorder has not been determined, historically and similarly to schizophrenia it has been strongly linked to familial history. In some cases, it has been preceded by a traumatic and stressful event. Brief psychotic disorder has also been theorized to be the cause of maladaptive defense mechanism to escape a stressor. In this case report, we present a fifteen-year-old female patient who abruptly lost her mother to COVID-19, her adaptation few months following the loss and her eventual reactive psychosis as well as management challenges.