Menstrual Psychosis: A Bipolar Disorder with a Link to the Hypothalamus

The literature on menstrual psychosis is briefly reviewed in this article. There are about 80 cases with substantial evidence, and about 200 other possible cases. The clinical features are generally those of manic depressive (bipolar) disorder. The diagnosis requires the accurate dating of the onsets of episodes and of menstrual bleeding. Obtaining a baseline of several carefully dated episodes is also important in finding the best way to arrest the periodic illness. Although conventional psychotropic drugs can shorten episodes, they do not prevent recurrences. For this, unconventional treatments appear to be more effective, especially thyroid hormone and clomiphene. Patients with menstrual psychosis usually have abnormal menstruation, such as anovulatory cycles, luteal defects, or periods of amenorrhea. This, and the occurrence of episodes before the menarche, suggests that the interaction between the bipolar diathesis and menstruation is in the hypothalamus.     

Seasonal patterns of recurrence in schizophreniform psychosis.

Patterns of recurrence were studied in 54 patients with a diagnosis other than affective illness, who had had 4 or more episodes, each lasting less than 6 months. Their diagnoses for the last hospitalization were: schizophrenia in 46 cases, 'catatonia' in 3 cases and atypical psychosis in 5 cases. Six patients (11%) fulfilled criteria nearly comparable to the DSM-IIIR diagnostic criteria for seasonal patterns. This prevalence is significantly higher than expected by chance and suggests that seasonal recurrence is not confined to affective illness. Four others showed an apparent periodicity shorter than 12 months, a finding which suggests that an endogenous circannual rhythm was at work in these cases and possibly also in some of the cases with an apparent seasonality of recurrence.     

Classification of long-term clinical course of 'atypical psychosis': a 20-year follow-up study at a medical school hospital]

To study the long-term clinical course and outcomes of atypical psychosis, 8 patients diagnosed with atypical psychosis were observed for more than 12 years (mean, 20 years). Retrospective examination was performed, particularly with respect to clinical features at each episode. The overall course of each case was classified as one of the following three types: Type I--"Recurrent confused state" type. Patients frequently repeated acute transient confused or dream-like states in a similar way, sometimes and/or for part of the episode accompanied by a floating paranoid-hallucinatory state. Duration of psychotic episode was short, persisting for a few days to about one month. Type II--"Manic-depressive illness similar" type. After a long course of disease, the predominantly early middle-aged patients (30- to 40 years-old) demonstrated fewer original characteristic features of acute confused or dream-like states. Instead, manic or depressive episodes tended to predominate. Duration of psychotic episodes exceeded the duration of type I episodes, to a maximum of about 3 months. Type III--"Appearance of residual state" type. After several episodes characterized by transient confused state during middle age, residual states consisting of a slight depressive state, reduced spontaneity and flattening of emotions appear. These states become durable and the periodicity of the disease disappeared. We conclude that the core group of atypical psychosis patients presents with confused symptoms as a clinical feature of episodes, and with the recurrent confused state type representing the long-term clinical course. "Shift to manic-depressive illness similar" and "appearance of residual state" types were considered to be derived from the core group, according to the interplay of personality structure and viable dynamics.     

Relationship between premorbid functioning and symptom severity as assessed at first episode of psychosis

OBJECTIVE: Investigating the relationship between premorbid and prodromal status and the clinical manifestations of the first psychotic episode is relevant for understanding the pathophysiology of psychosis and for improving management of the disease. This study examined patterns of premorbid functioning of persons interviewed during their first episode of psychotic illness and examined the relationship of premorbid characteristics with symptom severity and cognitive functioning during the first illness episode. METHOD: The data were derived from the baseline assessments of a multicenter international drug trial that enrolled 535 patients in their first episode of psychosis. Subjects' scores on the Premorbid Adjustment Scale were used to assign them to groups according to whether their premorbid functioning was stable-good, stable-poor, or deteriorating. The three groups' scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Clinical Global Impression (CGI) severity scale, and a cognitive battery were compared. RESULTS: Almost half of the patients (47.5%) had stable-good premorbid functioning, 37.3% had stable-poor premorbid functioning, and 15.1% had initially good, but later deteriorating, premorbid functioning. Compared to the stable-poor and deteriorating groups, the stable-good group had lower (better) negative syndrome and general psychopathology scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and a lower CGI severity scale score. Differences between the stable-poor and stable-good groups were also found on some cognitive measures and on the positive syndrome subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the subjects, who were interviewed during their first episode of psychotic disorder, had evident premorbid behavioral disturbances. Poor premorbid functioning before onset of psychosis was associated with more severe symptoms and more severe cognitive manifestations of illness during the first illness episode.     

First admission with puerperal psychosis: 7–14 years of follow-up

The aim of this study was to investigate women who had first-episode psychosis within 1 year after parturition. The Danish Psychiatric Central Register and the Danish Medical Birth Register were linked to identify all women admitted for the first time to a psychiatric department in Århus County with a psychotic episode. Fifty cases were found, giving a frequency of first-episode psychosis within 1 year after delivery of 1 per 1000. First-episode psychotic disease within the first month postpartum occurred in 1 case per 2000 deliveries. The age distribution corresponded to that of the background population, but the cases were primiparous more often than expected. The socioeconomic status was equal to that of a matched control group of obstetric patients. Birth complications did not occur more frequently than expected, but the probands had a higher risk of preterm delivery than the controls. The clinical picture of the index episode was that of manic-depressive psychosis in nearly half of the cases, but no cases of schizophrenia were found. Sixty percent of the patients had a picture of severe depression, and 20% suffered from manic disorder. The follow-up, 7 to 14 years later, was carried out by interviewing the general practitioners. Forty percent of the women had not preserved full working capacity due to mental disorder. Moreover, the follow-up pointed to schizophreniform symptoms at the index episode as a predictor of incapacity to work. Recurrences were very common (60%), especially of the nonpuerperal type, and half of the recurrences belonged to the manic-depressive disorders. Schizophrenia was diagnosed in one case at the follow-up. Cases with exclusively puerperal episodes were rare (4%).     

Clinical course and outcome of delusional psychosis

The purpose of the study was to examine first-admitted patients with delusional psychosis meaning functional psychosis with paranoid symptoms with respect to clinical course and outcome. The index population comprised 88 patients. At discharge from first admission the patients were classified according to ICD-8 and DSM-III. According to both diagnostic classifications the majority of the patients did not belong to either of the two major psychotic groups, schizophrenia or affective psychosis. During the 2-year observation period half of the patients took psychotropic drugs continuously, and almost half of the patients experienced one or more relapses. One third of the patients were readmitted, and in average the patients stayed in the hospital for 4 months during the observation period including the time of index admission. At follow-up half of the patients revealed positive psychotic symptoms, while two thirds were moderately or severely impaired because of psychotic illness or personality dysfunction. It is concluded that the present aftercare treatment is insufficient to prevent relapse and psychotic symptoms. In consequence of this the existence of delusions at first admission to hospital because of functional psychosis seems for many to predict an unfavourable course and outcome. Further study will search for clinical and social predictors of course and outcome in patients with delusional psychosis.     

A prospective study of postictal psychoses with emphasis on the periictal type

PURPOSE: To assess prospectively episodes of postictal psychosis. METHODS: We followed 108 consecutive patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, who were divided into three groups: those without psychotic episodes (n=87, N group), those with interictal psychosis (n=13, IIP group), and those with postictal psychosis (n=8, PIP group). The first episode of postictal psychosis, which was defined as a psychotic episode that occurred within 1 week after the end or within 3 days before the beginning of seizure clusters, was assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Social Dysfunction and Aggression Scale (SDAS) during the observation period. RESULTS: The duration of illness was significantly different between the N and PIP groups (p=0.004) and between the N and IIP groups (p=0.039). The average initial BPRS score (obtained 3.0 days after the end of the seizure cluster) was 19.7, and then decreased to 5.8 after 1 week, and finally normalized at 1.5 after 1 month. A statistically significant decrease in BPRS scores was found between the initial assessment and those obtained after 1 week (p=0.011). Those who had psychotic episodes without a lucid interval tended to have episodes more often than monthly, and experienced additional seizure recurrence even during the psychotic episodes. Two patients exhibited a frank manic phase, and three patients showed excessively aggressive behavior, as determined by the SDAS. CONCLUSIONS: Postictal psychosis should be subdivided into the nuclear type, with an established clinical picture as an indirect aftereffect of seizure activity, and the atypical periictal type, which is a direct manifestation of limbic discharge.     

A prospective study of postpartum psychoses in a high-risk group. 1. Clinical characteristics of the current postpartum episodes

Postpartum psychotic episodes (PPPs) occurring during the first 6 months after delivery were prospectively studied in 88 pregnant index women with a history of nonorganic psychosis and 104 pregnant controls with no such history. While no control developed a PPP, PPPs were found following 28% of the index deliveries, almost all of these 25 cases being psychiatrically hospitalized. PPPs were especially frequent among cases with total illness diagnoses of Cycloid Psychosis and Affective Illness. More than half of the 25 cases had symptom onset within 3 weeks of delivery, and these early onset cases represented predominantly affective disorders, many of whom were manic in this episode. Cases with onset after 3 weeks were predominantly schizophrenic. Confusion was part of the current episode symptomatology in about one third of the cases and was well distributed across the different diagnostic groups.     

Course of illness following prospectively observed mania or hypomania in individuals presenting with unipolar depression

Fiedorowicz JG, Endicott J, Solomon DA, Keller MB, Coryell WH. Course of illness following prospectively observed mania or hypomania in individuals presenting with unipolar depression. Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 664–671. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives: In a well‐defined sample, we sought to determine which clinical variables, some of potential nosological relevance, influence subsequent course following prospectively observed initial episodes of hypomania or mania (H/M). Methods: We identified 108 individuals in the National Institute of Mental Health Collaborative Depression Study diagnosed with unipolar major depression at intake who subsequently developed H/M. We assessed time to repeat H/M based on whether one had been started on an antidepressant or electroconvulsive therapy within eight weeks of developing H/M, had longer episodes, or had a family history of bipolar disorder. Results: Modeling age of onset, treatment‐associated H/M, family history of bipolar disorder, duration of index H/M episode, and psychosis in Cox regression analysis, family history of bipolar disorder (n = 21) was strongly associated with repeat episodes of H/M [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06–3.83, p = 0.03]. Those with treatment‐associated episodes (n = 12) were less likely to experience subsequent episodes of H/M, although this was not significant in the multivariate model (HR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.06–1.05, p = 0.06). These individuals also had a later age of onset for affective illness and were more likely to be depressed. Duration of illness with a temporal resolution of one week, psychosis, and age of onset were not associated with time to repeat H/M episode. Conclusions: A family history of bipolar disorder influences the course of illness, even after an initial H/M episode. In this select sample, treatment‐associated H/M did not appear to convey the same risk for a course of illness characterized by recurrent H/M episodes.     

Physical ill health and risk of psychosis

Patients with psychosis have been found to suffer from physical illnesses more commonly than the general population. In this report, self-reported physical ill health and its correlates among subjects with and without vulnerability to psychosis in a sample of first-degree relatives, help-seekers and controls were investigated. Perceived physical health was statistically significantly poorer among subjects with minor symptoms on the Structured Interview for Prodromal Symptoms and those vulnerable to psychosis than among those without symptoms measured by 13 somatoform symptom sum scores of the Symptom Checklist-90. Those at current risk of psychosis had a significantly higher mean sum score on the 13 somatic items (mean=21.1) than others (mean=9.6). Having physical symptoms or a self-reported physician-diagnosed illness was significantly associated with vulnerability to psychosis (odds ratio=3.05). The subjects with a mood disorder (odds ratio=4.33) had significantly more commonly physician-diagnosed illnesses than those who had no diagnosis or any other diagnosis. Physical ill health seems to be common among those vulnerable to psychosis.     

Women with nonorganic psychosis: psychiatric and demographic characteristics of cases with versus without postpartum psychotic episodes

Within a sample of 88 reproducing women with nonorganic psychosis, psychiatric and demographic characteristics were compared for women having only postpartum psychotic episodes (PPPs), women never having PPPs, and women having both PPPs and other psychotic episodes. Cases with only PPPs or both PPPs/other episodes most frequently had affective disorders. Cases with no PPPs most frequently had schizophrenia. Even with diagnosis controlled, cases with only PPPs were comparatively high in social class and in age at initial illness onset and were less severely ill than others. Cases with both PPPs/other episodes had the opposite characteristics. Cases never having PPPs had an intermediary position between the other two groups. PPPs in patients having only PPPs bore a special relationship to parity, not seen in other patients. PPPs appear to be associated with two different types of clinical/demographic patterns, depending upon whether the PPPs occur in isolation or as part of another illness pattern.     

Course of adolescent psychotic disorder with schizoaffective episodes

This study examines educational/occupational outcome and social functioning of adolescents treated for psychosis (mean onset age 16.1 yrs±1.3). In a sample of 157 subjects, 26 patients with schizoaffective episodes (defined as any episode meeting ICD-9 criteria for schizoaffective psychosis, occurring at any time during the course of illness) were compared to 101 patients with schizophrenia, and to 30 affective disordered patients, all without schizoaffective episodes. Follow-up information (mean interval 7.3 yrs ±4.3) was obtained on 130 subjects. The three groups did not differ concerning sex, duration of first inpatient treatment, symptoms and social competence at discharge, nor at follow-up. At the time of outcome subjects with schizoaffective episodes showed greater similarities to schizophrenic than to severe affective disorder. Educational and occupational impairment was found in 72% of the schizoaffective group (schizophrenic group 79%, affective group 40%), obvious or more severe social disability in 86% of the schizoaffective group (schizophrenic 79%, affective 40%). Disabilities regarding performance of specific social roles and specific downward educational and occupational drifts were found to be more marked in schizoaffective than in affective disorder. Implications for further research and clinical practice are discussed.     

The AIDS dementia complex: I. Clinical features

Of 70 autopsied patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), 46 suffered progressive dementia that was frequently accompanied by motor and behavioral dysfunction. Impaired memory and concentration with psychomotor slowing represented the most common early presentation of this disorder, but in nearly one half of the patients either motor or behavioral changes predominated. Early motor deficits commonly included ataxia, leg weakness, tremor, and loss of fine-motor coordination, while behavioral disturbances were manifested most commonly as apathy or withdrawal, but occasionally as a frank organic psychosis. The course of the disease was steadily progressive in most patients, and at times was punctuated by an abrupt acceleration. However, in 20% of patients a more protracted indolent course was observed. In the most advanced stage of this disease, patients exhibited a stereotyped picture of severe dementia, mutism, incontinence, paraplegia, and in some cases, myoclonus. The high incidence and unique clinical presentation of this AIDS dementia complex is consistent with the emerging concept that this complication is due to direct brain infection by the retrovirus that causes AIDS.     

Cannabis psychosis and paranoid schizophrenia.

The initial clinical symptoms of 25 consecutive cases of cannabis psychosis of the paranoid type and 25 consecutive cases of paranoid schizophrenia were studied and compared, in order to delineate features that would enable a differentiation of the two conditions. It was observed that the patients with cannabis psychosis substantially differed in terms of behavioral manifestations. Most of these patients were violent and panicky and demonstrated bizzare behavior, but they possessed some insight into the nature of their illness. Schizophrenic patients manifested these disturbances and characteristics less frequently. Subjects with cannabis psychosis showed rapid ideation and flight of ideas, whereas the characteristic schizophrenic thought-disorder was found mostly in schizophrenic patients.     

Male and female mania

A total of 74 manic or hypomanic episodes were scrutinized in 31 probands (18 women and 13 men), followed over the years by the author on an outpatient basis. These turned out to herald bipolar affective illness in some 70 percent of males and almost 40% of females. Unipolar mania occurred twice as often in men, as it did in women (38.4% vs. 22.2%). Men tended to be younger (only 30% aged 45 or older), than women (almost a half in the menopausal age bracket). One third of all female probands (and over 46% of those under age 45) manifested their manic episodes in connection with childbirth (gestational mania). As a paradoxical, acute grief reaction ("funeral mania"), the syndrome under scrutiny, occurred in about 1/7 of the men, and more than 1/4 of the women. Significant medico-surgical problems were found to accompany or precede female mania twice as often, compared to male cases (61.1% vs. 30.7%); and clinical confusion or other indices of "organicity" were present in 2/3 of the women, and less than a half (46.1%) of the men. Over half the male probands demonstrated either an inverted sexual attraction, or hypogonadism; and four out of 13 males were aged 45 or older. The above findings are tentatively related to gender differential in cerebral hemispheric specialization.     

Prevalence of dual diagnoses of mental and substance abuse disorders in general hospitals

Data from a 1980 discharge survey of general hospitals were analyzed to determine the prevalence of cases with coexisting diagnoses of mental and substance abuse disorders. Twelve percent of total cases (or 208,000 episodes) had dual diagnoses, a proportion similar to that found in another analysis of 1985 data. Of these cases, 55.5 percent had a primary diagnosis of an alcohol or drug disorder, most commonly alcohol- or drug-induced organic brain syndrome. Thirty-four percent of cases with a primary diagnosis of mental disorder had depressive neurosis, 24 percent had psychosis, and 19 percent had personality disorder. An additional 18.9 percent of all cases had two or more mental or substance abuse disorders. Dual-diagnosis cases had a shorter mean hospital stay than cases with mental disorder only.     

Distinct neurophysiological mechanisms for manic and cycloid psychoses: evidence from a P300 study on manic patients

Pathologically asymmetrical P300 fields with right lateralized peaks were described in core schizophrenia as an expression of left-temporal functional deficits, while higher than normal amplitudes were found in cycloid psychosis. This latter finding appeared to be specific for cycloid psychosis and was explained by a generalized cerebral hyperarousal. Based on some psychopathological analogies with cycloid psychosis, and on the comparable pharmacological treatment of the acute episodes, a group of 19 manic patients was investigated immediately after remission and clinical stabilization of an episode. Patients with psychotic features were excluded to avoid overlaps with cycloid psychosis. Patients showed normal P300 amplitudes and no pathological asymmetries of the field, but more posterior positive areas compared to age- and sex-matched controls. This indicates that the neurophysiological changes underlying mania are different from both core schizophrenia and cycloid psychosis. Based on previous three-dimensional source location studies, this finding indicates that disinhibition due to reduced frontal lobe activity, and not hyperarousal, is the basic functional mechanism of manic disorders.     

Meaningful lives: Supporting young people with psychosis in education, training and employment: an international consensus statement

Aim: Unemployment is the major disability faced by people with psychotic illness. Unemployment rates of 75–95% are found among those with schizophrenia. Unemployment is associated with poorer social and economic inclusion, greater symptomatology, decreased autonomy and generally poorer life functioning. Unemployment also makes up over half of the total costs associated with psychotic illness. Methods: A meeting was convened in London in June 2008. Invitees to this meeting included people from the USA, Canada and the UK interested in vocational intervention in early psychosis from either a research, clinical, economic or policy point of view. From this meeting a larger group – the International First Episode Vocational Recovery (iFEVR) group – has developed an international consensus statement about vocational recovery in first episode psychosis. Results: The document is a basic statement of the rights of young people with psychosis to pursue employment, education and training; the evidence which exists to help them do this; and ways in which individuals, organizations and governments can assist the attainment of these ends. Conclusion: It is hoped that the Meaningful Lives consensus statement will increase the focus on the area of functional recovery and lift it to be seen in parallel with symptomatic recovery in the approach to treating early psychosis.     

On the nosology of severe psychiatric post-partum disorders

Summary A group of 57 women, who had been hospitalised for puerperal psychiatric disorders from 1958 to 1977, were reexamined in 1982. The aim of the study was to determine the proportion of patients who had suffered from nonpuerperal psychotic relapses or other subsequent psychopathology, to define the sample diagnostically, taking into account progress in classification, to characterize the so far relatively neglected later course of illness, and to establish criteria related to relapse and global clinical outcome.Of these patients 65% had at least one nonpuerperal relapse, only 25% remained free of later psychopathology, but the global outcome was favorable or relatively favorable in many cases. Of the patients who had had nonpuerperal relapses 43% were classified as suffering from affective psychosis, as many as 38% from schizoaffective psychosis, and only 19% from schizophrenia. Schizoaffective psychosis seems to be particularly liable to be provoked by childbirth. No major evidence was found that endogenous psychoses with puerperal onset and nonpuerperal relapses have a course of illness different from that of the corresponding diagnostic category in general. Cases with exclusively puerperal decompensations seem to be nosologically independent from the traditionally recognized endogenous psychoses. Characteristics strongly related to nonpuerperal relapses were a family history of psychosis and the occurrence of psychotic episodes before the index episode. Puerperal relapses occurred at a much higher rate in patients who also had nonpuerperal relapses than in patients without.     

The evaluation and management of patients with first-episode schizophrenia: a selective, clinical review of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis

Patients who present with a first episode of psychosis pose many challenges to psychiatry. While some morbidity from schizophrenia is probably not modifiable once acute psychosis has occurred, the best management of this stage of illness nevertheless holds the promise of improving long-term outcomes. We review the clinical literature on first-episode psychosis to derive clinical guidance with regard to timely diagnosis and optimal pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment. We describe the illness course and the prognosis for this acute phase of illness and the immediate, postpsychotic period.