PARANOID-HALLUCINATORY PSYCHOSIS AND HYPE RTHYROIDISM

A 70-year-old woman was admitted to a general hospital because of hot flush, nausea, sleep disturbances, psychomotor agitation, conceptual d isorganization, persecutory delusions and auditory hallucinations. Thr ee days after the diagnosis and initiation of treatment for hyperthyro idism she was referred to the psychiatric clinic because of increasing dizziness. Continuous antithyroid therapy with the addition of neurol eptic treatment resulted in a complete remission of the psychotic symp toms. Subsequent radiojodine therapy was performed without complicatio ns. Psychopathology and organic symptoms as well as the course of illn ess allow the diagnosis of a symptomatic delusional and hallucinatory psychosis. The outcome of an earlier psychotic episode has to be seen in this context.