[Misdiagnosis of psychic symptoms of hyperthyroidism in affective psychosis].

A 71-year-old woman known to have suffered from a depressive illness for fifty years developed further psychological and somatic symptoms 18 months ago (agitation, increased impulsiveness, depressive mood, decreased appetite, diarrhoea and weight loss). Within five days there occurred nocturnal confusion with disordered word finding and counting. Biochemical tests indicated hyperthyroidism and scintigraphy showed multifocal activity increase. The psychological and somatic symptoms responded to thyrostatic treatment with carbimazole, 30 mg daily. This case demonstrates that added somatic causes of psychological symptoms should be thought of in previously known psychiatric illness.