Back to table of contents Previous article Next article LETTERFull AccessNew-Onset Paranoia and Bipolar Disorder Associated With Intracranial AneurysmBenjamin K.P. Woo M.D.Conrado C. Sevilla M.D.,Benjamin K.P. Woo M.D.Search for more papers by this authorConrado C. Sevilla M.D.Search for more papers by this author,Published Online:1 Oct 2007AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Elderly patients are more likely to have physical comorbidity and unrecognized medical disorders associated with behavioral disturbances. 1 Unruptured intracranial aneurysms occur in up to 6% of the general population, and unusual presenting symptoms may include headache, cranial nerve compression or mass effects. 2 We report a case of psychosis and bipolar depression associated with an unruptured intracranial aneurysm. “Mr. M,” a 65-year-old right-handed Caucasian man with no previous psychiatric history, was seen for an acute manic episode with psychotic symptoms in the emergency room. He had 2 months of paranoia in the context of “my house was bugged by Iraqi satellites.” He also had elated mood, flight of ideas, pressured speech, and slept only 3 hours a day. Three weeks prior to ER visit, patient was depressed, unable to concentrate, losing weight, and not taking care of his dog. Patient also complained of mild unilateral headache. His medical history was significant for obesity, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and a grapefruit size ventral hernia. A thorough neurological examination revealed no abnormalities. On the initial Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), 3 he scored 19 out of 30. On day 2, Mr. M scored 29 out of 30 on the MMSE. On the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination, 4 Mr. M’s pattern of scores was consistent with those suffering from mild to moderate presenile dementia. Laboratory studies for dementia and delirium were both unremarkable. CT scan revealed mild cortical atrophy, and a 15 mm diameter aneurysm at the right basilar artery compressing against the pons. Previous CT performed a year ago did not reveal such findings. Given the poor prognosis and significant risk, Mr. M refused invasive operation for the intracranial aneurysm. An association between erotomanic delusional syndrome and intracranial aneurysm has been reported previously. 5 To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of association between intracranial aneurysm and paranoia with subsequent bipolar depression. It is still unclear how intracranial aneurysm causes depression, mania, and paranoia in Mr. M’s case. It is likely that ischemic changes, calcification in the wall of the aneurysm and compression of adjacent brain tissue led to the current neuropsychiatric presentation, which included a form of psychosis, bipolar depression, dementia, and delirium. In summary, our case highlights the importance of searching for unrecognized medical conditions that could be solely or partially responsible for new-onset neuropsychiatric symptoms in elderly patients. UCLA-Kern Psychiatry Residency Program, Bakersfield, CAReferences1 . Woo BK, Daly JW, Allen EC, et al: Unrecognized medical disorders in older psychiatric inpatients in a senior behavioral health unit in a university hospital. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2003; 16:121–125Google Scholar2 . Vega C, Kwoon JV, Lavine SD: Intracranial aneurysms: current evidence and clinical practice. Am Fam Physician 2002; 66:601–608Google Scholar3 . Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR: “Mini-mental state:”a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res 1975; 12:189–198Google Scholar4 . Kiernan RJ, Mueller J, Langston JW, et al: The Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination: a brief but quantitative approach to cognitive assessment. Ann Intern Med 1987; 107:481–485Google Scholar5 . Suarez-Richards M, Fournes O: Erotomania preceding an aneurysmal subarachnid hemorrhage: is there an association? J Affect Disord 2002; 70:333–336Google Scholar FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 19Issue 4 Fall, 2007Pages 489-490 Metrics PDF download History Published online 1 October 2007 Published in print 1 October 2007