Persistent severe depressive episode with mood-congruent psychotic features associated with left temporal ischemia.
OBJECTIVE
The authors describe the case of a patient suffering from a persistent severe depressive episode with mood-congruent psychotic features following left temporal ischemia.


BACKGROUND
Depression is a frequent disorder that may stem from psychosocial factors or occur after brain damage. Cases of poststroke depression with associated psychotic symptoms are rarely described in the literature, and, to our knowledge, no case of depression with psychotic symptoms in the presence of a focal lesion has yet been reported.


METHODS
History included psychiatric, neurologic, and neuropsychological as well as EEG data and CT scan and magnetic resonance images.


CONCLUSIONS
Neurologic and psychiatric dimensions may be associated and difficult to disentangle, even when the patient presents the classic symptoms of a depressive disorder. This case underlines the importance of investigating possible neurologic signs or symptoms, even when the psychiatric presentation is prototypical of a determined mental disorder. This may be crucial for the patient's evolution.
Ortiz
Nadia
N
Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Annoni
Jean-Marie
JM
Trojan
Dante
D
Alberque
Christel
C
Eytan
Ariel
A
D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed