Acute Psychosis Following Corticosteroid Administration

Glucocorticoids are commonly used to treat endocrine as well as non-endocrine disorders. Unfortunately, these agents are associated with multiple adverse effects affecting various organ systems. A 55-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension with no past psychiatric history was admitted to the hospital for acute hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. The patient did not exhibit any psychiatric symptoms during the initial admission. However, she was re-admitted three days after the initial discharge, presenting with acute psychosis following the intravenous dexamethasone administration for seven days. Neuropsychiatric effects of glucocorticoids include depression, mania, agitation, mood lability, anxiety, insomnia, catatonia, depersonalization, delirium, dementia, and psychosis. Clinicians should be aware of the acute neuropsychiatric side effects of corticosteroids and evaluate patients for delirium if clinically indicated. Further research is needed to identify the pathophysiology and predisposing factors contributing to neuropsychiatric side effects of corticosteroid administration. The use of atypical antipsychotics in the management of these sequelae needs to be explored as well.