Burns in the context of a shared psychotic disorder in a Colombian referral centre: A case report

INTRODUCTION

Shared paranoid disorder is characterised by the development of psychotic symptoms in people who have a close affective bond with a subject suffering from a mental disorder. This case is the first case of burn injuries reported in the context of this disorder.

CASE

We describe a young couple, with a similar pattern of burns caused by contact with a griddle. The injuries are the result of the aggression caused by a relative of one of them, who presented psychotic symptoms, related to the previously undiagnosed spectrum of schizophrenia.

CONCLUSIONS

The impact of this condition encompasses social, physical and psychological components, requiring multidisciplinary management and a high index of diagnostic suspicion.

Burns in the Context of a Shared Psychotic Disorder in a Colombian Referral Centre: a Case Report

INTRODUCTION

Shared paranoid disorder is characterised by the development of psychotic symptoms in people who have a close affective bond with a subject suffering from a mental disorder. This case is the first case of burn injuries reported in the context of this disorder.

CASE

We describe a young couple, with a similar pattern of burns caused by contact with a griddle. The injuries are the result of the aggression caused by a relative of one of them, who presented psychotic symptoms, related to the previously undiagnosed spectrum of schizophrenia.

CONCLUSIONS

The impact of this condition encompasses social, physical and psychological components, requiring multidisciplinary management and a high index of diagnostic suspicion.

Othello Syndrome Secondary to Cerebral Tuberculoma: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION

Othello syndrome, an eponym of Shakespeare's character, is a transnosological diagnostic term that designates a clinical picture characterised by the presence of delusions of infidelity with respect to a partner and that, consequently, can lead to typical jealousy attitudes and violent behaviour towards the partner. In its pure form, it corresponds to delusional disorder of infidelity, but it may also be secondary to brain organicity and drug use.

METHODS

Case report and non-systematic review of the relevant literature.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 26-year-old man, with a history of drug abuse and a victim of domestic violence as a child, presented with tonic-clonic seizures and intracranial hypertension three years ago, for which he underwent a craniotomy with the finding of a right frontal cerebral tuberculoma. After a lapse, he developed a clinical picture of delusions of infidelity regarding his partner and violent behaviour towards her.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Delusional jealousy is associated, like other delusions, with lesions of the right frontal lobe. Despite the high and growing prevalence of tuberculosis worldwide, there are no reported cases of Othello syndrome secondary to cerebral tuberculoma in the literature.

CONCLUSION

Othello syndrome, although not the main cause of domestic violence, can be associated with particularly violent manifestations and be secondary to cerebral tuberculoma. This is the first published case of its kind.

Anti-NMDA (a-NMDAR) receptor encephalitis related to acute consumption of metamphetamine: Relevance of differential diagnosis

A 19-year-old male came to the Emergency Room of our hospital due to an episode of dystonic movements and disorientation 4 days after consuming methamphetamine, which evolved to a catatonic frank syndrome and eventually to status epilepticus. Definitive diagnosis was anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, an acute inflammation of the limbic area of autoimmune origin in which early diagnosis and treatment are key elements for the final outcome. In this case, initial normal tests and previous methamphetamine poisoning delayed diagnosis, because inhaled-methamphetamine poisoning causes similar clinical symptoms to anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. Methamphetamine poisoning may have caused an immune response in the patient, bringing on the progress of the pathology.