Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-txr5j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-27T20:19:43.255Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Differential diagnosis of acute psychosis after cocaine consumption: a case report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2024

J. Gimillo Bonaque*
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
E. Arroyo Sánchez
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
P. Setién Preciados
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
C. Díaz Mayoral
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Introduction

Psychosis is a common clinical presentation of mental disorder in many psychiatric patients, however, an etiological diagnosis is important when it occurs for the first time in a patient. Regarding a case seen in the Emergency Department recently, with major depression and acute cocaine use, a differential diagnosis was made after adequate organic screening. When presenting delusion of infestation after the consumption of the substance, the main hypothesis was what we call Ekbom syndrome. However, among other possibilities we consider a toxic psychosis or a major depression with psychotic symptoms.

Objectives

Review the different causes of acute psychosis and the importance of a good clinical history to achieve a specific diagnosis. Perform a differential diagnosis between the main causes of psychosis in a patient with depression who has recently consumed cocaine.

Methods

Presentation of the case and review of the available literature on the risk of developing psychosis after cocaine use and depression concomitantly.

Results

There is a low number of reported cases of delusional infestation after acute cocaine use, being more likely toxic psychosis or major depression with psychotic symptoms. A good anamnesis, with systematic questions about toxic habits, can lead us to a more accurate main hypothesis.

Conclusions

We mark the importance of a systematic anamnesis to achieve a better diagnosis, as well as a correct study by the clinician of the specific syndromes described in phenomenology such as Ekbom syndrome, to make a correct association of ideas in the differential diagnosis.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.