Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infection Induced First Episode Psychosis: A Case Series

Aims: We presented 3 similar cases of 1st episode psychosis that occurred after Corona Virus Disease -2019 (COVID-19) infection which we treated at our institute’s on going post-COVID-19 mental health clinic, to provide more evidence to the existing literature and to describe whether an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection can also induce psychosis in previously healthy individuals and tried to elaborate the probable etiology and nature of the psychotic symptoms.

Presentation of the Cases: All the 3 cases had COVID-19 infection, few days before their psychotic symptoms started for the 1st time. They didn’t have any history of regular substance or medication use that are known to induce psychosis or any previous history of psychiatric disease or family history of psychiatric disease, without any abnormality in physical examinations and laboratory investigations. All the cases had history of stress which were not overwhelming (except the 3rd case) and were mostly related to COVID-19 infection and pandemic associated social and financial stress. 1st case (54 years, married male) developed delusion of persecution, delusion of reference, 2nd and 3rd person auditory hallucinations, 2nd case (61 years, widower male) developed delusion of persecution, 2nd person auditory hallucination (commanding type), disinhibited behaviour (disrobing in public) and the 3rd case (32 years, unmarried male) developed delusion of persecution and delusional misidentification (Intermetamorphosis). All of them responded well to commonly used antipsychotics within 4 weeks that prompted a diagnosis of Acute and Transient Psychotic disorder according to ICD-10 criteria.

Discussion: This study points out that even an asymptomatic COVID-19 can induce psychosis for the first time in life, where the etiology most probably is the direct effect of the virus itself on brain or the COVID-19 and pandemic related stress which is supported by the fact that factors like family history of psychiatric disease, substance use or medication use or any comorbidity that can induce psychosis were also absent. The psychopathological findings were persecutory delusion and auditory hallucinations with one case having Intermetamorphosis phenomenon which is a rare finding and perhaps a novel finding in post-COVID-19 Psychosis.

Conclusion: All COVID-19 infected individuals should be screened early for appearance of any symptom that raises the suspicion of psychosis. Large studies are needed to ascertain the etiology of post-COVID-19 psychosis.