Case Challenges

A 68-Year-Old Woman with Lung Cancer and Late-Onset Bipolar Disorder

Johanna W. DeKay, MD; Jeremy Matuszak, MD

  • Psychiatric Annals
  • May 2011 - Volume 41 · Issue 5: 261-263
  • DOI: 10.3928/00485713-20110425-04
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Abstract

A 68-year-old white woman was diagnosed with poorly differentiated, stage 1A, non-small cell lung cancer with possible hilar node involvement in spring 2008. To treat her cancer, she received one dose of the chemotherapeutic agents docetaxel and cisplatin and 3 days of the oral steroid dexamethasone.

Within 6 weeks, she developed mild paranoid ideations and subsequent florid mania with delusions. All of this was despite having no prior personal or family history of psychiatric illness. Upon evaluation, she was placed on a psychiatric hold due to her inability to care for herself and was admitted for psychiatric treatment.

AUTHORS

Johanna W. DeKay, MD, is a fourth-year resident, Department of Psychiatry, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno. Jeremy Matuszak, MD, is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno.

Address correspondence to: .jdekay@medicine.nevada.edu

doi: 10.3928/00485713-20110425-04

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