Ultra-high risk psychosis. A case report

Abstract

Introduction

There is much debate on whether patients who are at high risk of developing a psychotic disorder in the near future (such as patients suffering of attenuated psychotic symptoms, brief limited intermittent psychotic symptoms or personality trait vulnerability) should be treated with antipsychotic drugs to prevent possible psychotic breaks from happening.

Aim

To review articles from the existing medical literature about treatment of patients in ultra-high risk of developing psychosis.

Methods

We describe the case of a 19-year-old male who was hospitalized after a suicide attempt in April 2015. He had been diagnosed of different psychiatric disorders such as mixed anxiety-depressive disorder, adjustment disorder and probable borderline personality disorder. During his stay at the hospital, we observed that he had schizoid personality traits. In the initial anamnesis, he denied ever having psychotic symptoms, but a few days later he admitted that the previous year he suffered throw a period of brief self-limiting psychotic symptoms.

Results

Prophylactic treatment was started with oral aripiprazole 15 mg/day, which was well tolerated by the patient. He has been free of psychotic symptoms for the last 17 months (from April 2015 to September 2016). No relevant side effects were detected.

Conclusions

Oral aripiprazole 15 mg/day can be a good therapeutic option in patients at ultra-high risk of developing a psychotic episode.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.