title: A case of resolution of an acute psychotic episode after high fever.
abstract: Fever (pyretotherapy) was used for psychosis during the turn of the 19th century, but pyretotherapy (ie, the treatment of a disorder by inducing fever) fell out of use after the introduction of convulsive methods. Here, we report on a case of schizoaffective disorder and review classical and recent literature on fever and psychosis. The patient developed auditory hallucinations, persecutory delusional ideas, and was terrified soon upon his arrival in a foreign country. After being treated for 12 days with olanzapine and haloperidol, he developed a fever due to urinary infection; his creatine phosphokinase levels were high, prompting the suspension of antipsychotics. Psychotic symptom resolution followed immediately fever abatement. Antipsychotics were reintroduced at lower dosages. He was discharged asymptomatic with a prescription of olanzapine 15 mg/day and haloperidol 3 mg/day. The time course of symptom resolution in this patient suggests that fever had a beneficial role in this case. The associations between body temperature changes and psychotic symptoms need to be further studied.
authors.affiliation: Medical School II, Department of Psychiatry, Sapienza University, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Via di Grottarossa 1035-1039, 00189 Rome, Italy. gabriele.sani@justmail.it
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sani
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manfredi
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pacchiarotti
authors.forename: Saverio Simone
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Caltagirone
authors.forename: Iginia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mancinelli
authors.forename: Alexia E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Koukopoulos
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tatarelli
authors.forename: Giorgio D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kotzalidis
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tatarelli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girardi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005334:Fever / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D008297:Male; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000523:psychology