Anxiety and depression related to elevated dopamine in a patient with multiple mediastinal paragangliomas.
Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors. Occasionally they secrete catecholamines in sufficient quantities to cause symptoms. These may include psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and depression. We describe a patient with multiple mediastinal paragangliomas and persistently elevated dopamine levels who presented with anxiety and depression. She later went on to develop paranoid schizophrenia, which we feel was coincidental. This case illustrates anxiety and depressive symptoms associated with elevated dopamine and the importance of awareness of psychiatric manifestations of neuroendocrine tumors among psychiatrists and physicians.
King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom.
Matt
M
Bonomaully
Department of Biomedical Sciences, St George's University of London, London SW17 0RE, United Kingdom.
Teck
T
Khong
South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AZ, United Kingdom.
Maria
M
Fotriadou
Institute of Psychiatry and South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AZ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: john.tully@kcl.ac.uk.
John
J
Tully
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D010235:Paraganglioma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D004298:Dopamine
Anxiety; Catecholamines; Depression; Neuroendocrinology; Paragangliomas