Neuropsychiatric symptoms in a patient with Cushing's syndrome

Reyna Daya; Faheem Seedat; Emilia Blomerus; Saajidah Bulbulia; Zaheer Bayat

doi:10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v28i0.1706

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in a patient with Cushing's syndrome

S Afr J Psychiatr. 2022 Jan 18:28:1706. doi: 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v28i0.1706. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Reyna Daya^{1

2}, Faheem Seedat^{1

2}, Emilia Blomerus¹, Saajidah Bulbulia^{1

2}, Zaheer Bayat^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Helen Joseph Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.
² Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Cushing's syndrome (CS) may present with different neurological and/or psychiatric symptoms including anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment and psychosis. Psychosis is a rare clinical manifestation, with literature limited to case reports. We report a case of a 52-year-old woman with psychosis secondary to CS who was mis-diagnosed as schizophrenia-like psychosis. This case highlights the importance of considering CS as a differential when ruling out medical causes in patients with either new or persistent mental health disturbances.

Keywords: Cushing’s syndrome; cortisol; depression; neuro-psychiatric disease; psychosis.

Publication types

Case Reports