COVID-19-induced Acute Psychosis Resulting in a Suicide Attempt: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION: Psychosis associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been previously, but infrequently, reported in the literature. We present a rare case of COVID-19-associated severe psychosis and suicide attempt in an 80-year-old male with no personal or known family history of psychiatric disease. Our patient’s symptoms appeared to be longer lasting than most other reported cases in the available literature. CASE REPORT: After a COVID-19 diagnosis, our patient experienced fluctuating, long-lasting psychiatric symptoms over a six-month period. During this time, he was unable to function independently. Suggested mechanisms involve a multifactorial combination of neuroinflammation and increased societal stress due to the direct and indirect effects of the virus, respectively. CONCLUSION: More research is needed to help identify risk factors, prognostic indicators, and a standard of care for psychosis associated with COVID-19.