Fever (pyretotherapy) was used for psychosis during the turn of the 1911 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.

A case of resolution of an acute psychotic episode after high fever / Sani, Gabriele; Giovanni, Manfredi; Pacchiarotti, Isabella; S. S., Caltagirone; Iginia, Mancinelli; Koukopoulos, Alexia; Caterina, Tatarelli; Kotzalidis, Giorgio; Tatarelli, Roberto; Girardi, Paolo. - In: CNS SPECTRUMS. - ISSN 1092-8529. - 12:6(2007), pp. 447-450.

A case of resolution of an acute psychotic episode after high fever

SANI, Gabriele;PACCHIAROTTI, ISABELLA;KOUKOPOULOS, ALEXIA;KOTZALIDIS, GIORGIO;TATARELLI, Roberto;GIRARDI, Paolo
2007

Abstract

Fever (pyretotherapy) was used for psychosis during the turn of the 1911 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.
2007
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
A case of resolution of an acute psychotic episode after high fever / Sani, Gabriele; Giovanni, Manfredi; Pacchiarotti, Isabella; S. S., Caltagirone; Iginia, Mancinelli; Koukopoulos, Alexia; Caterina, Tatarelli; Kotzalidis, Giorgio; Tatarelli, Roberto; Girardi, Paolo. - In: CNS SPECTRUMS. - ISSN 1092-8529. - 12:6(2007), pp. 447-450.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/236495
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