Thiamine deficiency (TD) presents with various physical and psychiatric symptoms, but no cases with depression-like symptoms have been reported.

We report a patient with cancer who appeared to attempt suicide as a consequence of depressive mood likely related to TD.

The patient was a 58-year-old woman diagnosed with recurrent endometrial cancer, with lung metastasis and pelvic dissemination. The patient apparently attempted suicide was referred to the psycho-oncology department.

At the time of the examination, major depressive disorder was suspected based on her mental symptoms, but when thiamine was administered intravenously in response to her poor dietary intake, her palpitations, dyspnea, anorexia, and insomnia improved, and her suicidal ideation disappeared at her reexamination 1 hour later after thiamine administration.

It is likely that the observed palpitations, dyspnea, anorexia, and insomnia, as well as the severe depression and the attempted suicide, which were thought to be physical symptoms associated with depression, were actually related to TD. Suicidal ideation and attempted suicide are conspicuous as psychiatric symptoms. However, in such cases, rather than simply starting treatment for depression, it is necessary to consider reversible TD as a cause of these symptoms and perform differential diagnosis to confirm the physical illness.

Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS) is a condition that causes an intense purple discoloration of the urine, predominately in frail, dependent, and bedridden persons who are chronically catheterized and have urinary tract infections. Despite being considered a benign syndrome, PUBS can cause great anxiety, fear, and distress in health professionals, chronically ill persons, and caregivers or family members who provide care.

We report the case of a 98-year-old institutionalized woman with Alzheimer’s dementia with a long-term urinary catheter who developed PUBS.

Although alarming and distressing for the resident and the health-care team, PUBS was resolved by treating the underlying urinary tract infection and applying good genital hygiene and catheter replacement.

Identifying PUBS and its clinical features and management proved to be significantly helpful in ameliorating the anxiety, fear, and distress around the phenomenon.