A Rare Case of Pseudocyesis in a Patient With Bipolar Disorder

Pseudocyesis is a rare condition in which a person has a false belief of being pregnant, accompanied by objective signs and symptoms of pregnancy, despite not being pregnant. Confirmation of pseudocyesis is achieved with a negative result of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin in the blood and/or urine and negative ultrasound finding. Most cases of pseudocyesis occur in the setting of major depressive disorder or psychotic disorder, with very few occurring during a manic episode of bipolar disorder. Hence, we present a 30-year-old woman with pseudocyesis in the setting of bipolar disorder, specifically within a current manic episode with features of psychosis. The patient was found in the woods naked, with signs of psychosis. She described symptoms of increasing abdominal size, whitish discharge from her nipple, and feeling of fetal movement. The patient continued to believe she was pregnant due to her symptoms, despite negative pregnancy tests on multiple occasions. She has a history of bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her examination showed an obese woman, with a non-distended abdomen and non-palpable uterus with no breast tenderness or enlargement. The patient was given olanzapine for her agitation and was subsequently stabilized with haloperidol and lorazepam. She was restarted on her home medications, including risperidone, oxcarbazepine, and topiramate. She was later committed involuntarily and transferred to a long-term psychiatry facility. Pseudocyesis is a rare condition often associated with other psychiatric comorbidities. Our patient's presentation highlights one of the few cases ever formally documented in a developed country, as most of the cases reported are found in developing countries. More studies, including case series and systematic reviews, need to be done to better understand this rare condition and its other variants.