Acute psychosis, increased water ingestion, and inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion.

The authors describe three postmenopausal women with agitated psychotic depression, increased water ingestion, and electrolyte values consistent with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion. They hypothesize that this clinical triad represents a syndrome reflecting underlying dysfunction of the hypothalamus and limbic system of the brain. The diagnosis of inappropriate ADH in one of the patients was directly confirmed by a recently developed serum radioimmunoassay.