Lithium, trifluperazine and idiopathic leucopenia: Author and reviewer perspectives on how to write a good case report

BACKGROUND: The Indian Journal of Psychiatry receives many reports which, despite obvious academic worth, are too poorly written to be publishable. Such submissions tax manuscript reviewers and increase the editorial office workload without benefiting the authors with a publication. METHODS: We describe an authentic and previously unpublished case of idiopathic leucopenia and psychosis. Leucocyte levels in this patient dropped upon challenge with different atypical antipsychotic drugs. Lithium pretreatment, however, permitted the safe and successful use of trifluperazine. Readers are invited to use a roughly-prepared version of the case report to draft a submission-worthy manuscript. RESULTS: Two versions of the manuscript are presented. The first version is generally satisfactory but will trigger several queries during peer review; these queries are indicated. The second version would be considered acceptable by most reviewers. CONCLUSIONS: Readers who work through the exercise provided in this article will better understand how authors should prepare their report and how reviewers may scrutinize their manuscript.