Hypokalemia is often detected on standard biological assessments of patients hospitalized for psychiatric disorders. Many explanations are advanced by clinicians like insufficient food intake or drug effects. But what if there was a relationship between this ionic disorder and psychotic relapses?

To assess the frequency of hypokalemia in patients hospitalized for a psychotic relapse and to study its relationship with certain clinical characteristics.

This is a cross-sectional study conducted over a 3-month period (july-september 2021), including 37 male patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and hospitalized in a psychiatric unit for a psychotic relapse. Patients had blood collection before medication that was sent for a complete blood count and blood chemistry testing.

Blood potassium level ranged from 2.92 to 4.87 mmol/L with an average of 3.74 mmol/l. Half patients ( 54.1% , N=20 ) had hypokalemia. Among them, two had electric signs on their ECG and two had physical symptoms. In patients with hypokalemia, the cause of hospitalization was the agitation in 80% of cases versus 58.8% in patients with normal potassium levels. The correlation was not significant between hypokalemia and the use of a restraint (p=0.160) or the somatic history (p=0.495).

hypokalemia is an ionic disorder that should be detected in patients with schizophrenia. It exposes the patient to the risk of a sudden death, especially with use of antipsychotics that are at a high risk for torsade de pointes.

No significant relationships.

Fatigue is one of the most common and disabling symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). It can be defined as a subjective lack of physical and mental energy.

To study the prevalence of fatigue in patients with MS and to determine the factors related to it, including depression.

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, which took place in the neurology department in Sfax (Tunisia). It focused on patients with MS in remission phase. We used the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) to determine the degree of disability caused by MS, the Chalder Fatigue Scale to evaluate the fatigue, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess depressive symptoms.

The 93 patients included in the study had a mean age of 36.59 ± 10.69 years. The socio-economic level was low to medium in 52.7% of cases. The EDSS score ranged from 0 to 8 (median = 3.5). The total number of relapses ranged from 1 to 30 (median = 3.5). MS patients had fatigue in 72.4% of cases and depression in 26.9% of cases. Patients with a low to medium socio-economic level were more fatigued (p=0.027). High number of MS relapses, severity of disability on the EDSS, and presence of depression were associated with fatigue (p=0.014, p<10-3 and p=0.001, respectively).

In MS patients, fatigue is a common symptom. Patients with reduced physical activity and greater MS-related disability have more severe fatigue, which negatively affects psychosocial functioning, increasing the risk of depression.

No significant relationships.

Marfan syndrome is an autosomal dominant systemic disorder with connective tissue defects in multiple organ systems. Cardinal manifestations of this syndrome involve the cardiovascular, the skeletal and the ocular system. Interestingly, many cases of patients with Marfan syndrome and schizophrenia have been reported.

Discuss the etiological link between Marfan syndrome and schizophrenia

Presentation of a clinical case illustrating the comorbidity between schizophrenia and marfan syndrome. A search was conducted in PubMed database using the terms : schizophrenia AND Marfan syndrome.

Ms JW a 36-year- old single women, she had schizophrenia since the age of 20 years, she was hospitalized in our service for psychotic relapse in a context of treatment discontinuation. She had a personal history of persistence of the ductus arteriosus for which she had been operated during her childhood, a scoliosis operated and multiple pathological fractures. On mental status examination, she was distressed and hallucinated, She had disorganized thought processes and a paranoid delirium. On physical examination, she had features suggestive of Marfan syndrome such as crowded teeth, a high arched palate, arachnodactyly , hyperlaxity and a high myopia. We don’t dispose genetic evaluation for marfan syndrom because of the nonavaibility of facilities to perform genetic analysis. Several studies have indicated that psychiatric symptoms might be part of the clinical profiles of marfan syndrom. However, their relationship and underlying pathogenesis are not easily clarified.

Co-occurrence of marfan syndrom and schizophrenia might be explained by some shared etiological pathways between both disorders.

No significant relationships.

Noonan-like syndrome with loose anagen hair (NSLH MIM 607721) is associated to mutations in PTPN11, RAF1, BRAF and SHOC2 genes.

Here, we report behavioral phenotype of a child suspected to have NSLH.

A 2-years-old Tunisian child harboring severe pulmonic valvular stenosis was referred to our genetic counselling for genetic assessment. Medical dysmorphology, cytogenetic analysis as well as genetic exploration of RAS-MAPK pathway genes were conducted.

The child had short stature and ectodermal features including ichthyotic skin and thin-soft nails. He has specific hair appearance associated to NS features. In fact, he had a small nasal tip, thick lips and sticking-out rotated ears. He harbored typical nasal voice and loose anagen hair with ungrowing thin hair, sparse and pale scalp hair and eyebrows. He showed cognitive deficits with mental retardation and hyperactive behavior. Considered as having NSLH, cytogenetic analysis revealed a 46,XY formula, but molecular screening of PTPN11, RAF1, BRAF, RIT1 and SHOC2 genes was negative.

Mutations within the RAS‐MAPK signaling pathway affect neurophysiologic activity in brain regions underlying attention and executive functions. Children with rasopathies demonstrated higher rates of attention deficit-hyperactivity (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders. However, no studies have examined specifically the aspects of behavioral attention in the various types of Rasopathies. A recent study demonstrated that ADHD seems to be higher in children with NSLH and SHOC2 mutation, which is the case of our patient. We suggest that assessment of inattentive and hyperactivity symptoms in children should consider Rasopathies with specific molecular screening.

No significant relationships.

We present the case of a 36-year-old male with depressive states, impulsive traits and fits of anger (including episodes of self and heteroagressiveness) since early childhood, in the context of traumatic family history and the beginning of an epileptic disease. These symptoms have been maintained over the years, in addition to other variable and recurrent symptoms, such as severe anxiety, somatizations or serious depressive symptoms.

To highlight the possible influence of epilepsy in the course of mental illnesses, especially depression, as well as the increased difficulty in management.

We collected the complete medical history of a patient with an important history of mental health in addition to epileptic disease since childhood and we carried out a review of the comorbidity between these diseases and their treatment.

The epileptic disease of our patient may have influenced the behavioural alterations and the depressive symptoms since childhood, as well as the personality traits with aggressiveness and impulsiveness. There is an added difficulty in treating this case given the possible interactions between antiepileptic and antidepressant medications.

This case highlights the importance of taking into account the influence of this comorbidity on the prognosis of patients. Knowing the interactions and side effects of drugs is essential for good clinical management.

No significant relationships.

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. The prevalence of depression is rising and it often co-occurs with other physical diseases.

The research aims to determine the comorbidity of depression and anxiety disorders with chronic physical diseases among employees of the „Brown coal mine Banovici“.

We conducted a retrospective study that included 117 employees from the disease registry who are being under the treatment of depression and anxiety disorder. We collected data from medical records of patients about sex, age, marital status, smoking status, physical diseases, types of antidepressants, and the other drugs they use.

The study showed that there are 117 employees of the „Brown coal mine Banovici“ who are under treatment of depression and anxiety-depressive disorder. 22 (18,8%) of them are females and 95 (81,2%) males in an average life span of 48,3 years. The most commonly used antidepressant is Escitalopram. 62 (53%) out of 117 patients with depression have comorbidity with diseases of the circulatory system, 24 (20,51%) have comorbidity with diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, 16 (13,68%) have comorbidity with endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases. 25 (21,37%) patients are not suffering from any other chronic physical disease. The most commonly used drugs besides antidepressants are antihypertensives.

The comorbidity rate of depression and anxiety disorders with cardiovascular diseases among employees of the „Brown coal mine Banovici“ is higher than with all other chronic physical diseases.

No significant relationships.

Functional neurological symptom disorder (FND) is characterized by the ideogenic neurologic presentation deriving from unconscious stressors or conflicts. The symptoms of FND usually begin with a psychiatric illness—most commonly depression, but with the release of the latest version of International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD-11), a new favoring factor comes to our mind: prolonged grief disorder (PGD), the newcomer to psychopathology.

The purpose of this case-report is to highlight the several key differences between PGD and depression, and the role of PGD in the onset of FND.

The authors report the case of a 22 years old woman with a history of frequent seizures with loss of consciousness and the absence of stimulus-response, which started soon after the death of her 31 years old brother. Psychologically, the patient presented sustained interest in the deceased, self-blame, confusion, emptiness and low mood. On a physical exam, the patient showed periocular hyperpigmentation.

The emergent symptoms and signs were resistant, failed to resolve with medication alone and continued to persist across all settings. The neurological dysfunction remained present and interfered with the patient’s functioning, until applying grief-oriented psychotherapy, which was the most efficient approach.

In conclusion, PGD represents a favoring condition for the onset of FND and it is most often mistaken with depression. Therefore, it is crucial to distinguish between these two disorders, as there is solid evidence that treatment for depression is far less helpful than targeted grief treatment.

No significant relationships.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized with difficulties in social interaction/communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. Sexual issues such as paraphilic behaviors in ASD have gained attention in recent years, however there is still a great paucity of research regarding this issue.

The aim of this presentation is to draw attention to a crucial dimension through a case of ASD with paraphilic disorder (pedophilic tendencies) and gender dysphoria.

One case from an inpatient unit of a psychiatric clinic in Lower Saxony, Germany will be reported.

Case: An 18-year-old male was referred to our acute psychiatric ward due to suicidal thoughts and other depressive symptoms. In further examination, he stated that he had pedophilic phantasies which he was trying to satisfy by using child pornography in the darknet. He had never been involved in any sexual relationship with a child and described this behavior as an addiction that he wanted to get rid of. Detailed psychiatric examination and developmental history yielded the diagnosis of high-functioning ASD. The compulsory paraphilic engagement is classified as a restrictive-repetitive interest in terms of ASD. In addition, the patient presented gender incongruence with moderate gender dysphoria, dressed in a skirt and wanted to be perceived and named rather gender-neutral, which was supported through the whole course.

Through systemic understanding of the high-functioning ASD structure and complex symptomatology, socio- and psychotherapeutic approaches were implemented which yielded an apparent stabilization. The detailed therapeutic process in the light of the present literature will be discussed.

No significant relationships.

Arachnoid cyst is a neurological tumor. It’s rare and benign. Its association to psychosis has been described in literature.

Through a case report and a review of the literature we hypothesize that arachnoid cyst is the cause of resistance in a patient with schizoaffective disorder.

Starting from a case report, we conducted a literature review on “PubMed”, using key words “arachnoid cyst”, “arachnoid cyst a psychiatry”, “arachnoid cyst and schizoaffective disorder”, “arachnoid cyst and schizophrenia”

Mr. AA is 50 years old, has diabetes treated with metformin, hypercholesterolemia and celiac disease under gluten free diet. He has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 1992, initially put on haloperidol and carbamazepine. Since the patient wasn’t getting better, we suspected no-compliance so we switched haloperidol for fluphenazine decanoate. The patient still suffered from persecutory delusion and auditory hallucinations. We started him on clozapine still with no improvement. So, we concluded to the resistance of schizoaffective disorder considered electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). A cerebral MRI was conducted, prior to ECT, objectifying a left anterior frontal arachnoid cyst of 26 millimeters from the main axis producing a mass effect on the cerebral cortex. This neurological tumor didn’t require neurosurgery.

Our patient was resistant to all treatments including clozapine. The only anomaly discovered was the arachnoid cyst. Could this explain the resistance of this patient and others like him? Could this be an interesting research path to further elucidate the mystery of metal disorder?

No significant relationships.

ADHD is a risk factor for impulsive/compulsive eating problems (EP). In, bulimia nervosa and compulsive eating disorder, EP are frequently preceded by negative affect and experienced as loss of control. Clarifying the underlying causes (eg., ADHD symptoms and/or psychological distress) of EP in ADHD would allow the development of targeted interventions.

To a) compare levels of EP between ADHD patients and a community sample, and b) test if ADHD symptoms and psychological distress predict EP, in ADHD patients.

Adults with ADHD (n=32; age=23.78+/-6.12; 69% males) from the Neurodevelopmental Outpatient Unit of Coimbra and healthy participants (n=30; age=36.90+/-13.23; 57% males) answered an online survey including the Portuguese versions of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Symptom Checklist, the Parkinson’s Disease Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders Questionnaire-Current Short and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale.

The ADHD group reported experiencing more EP than healthy individuals (18/32 vs. 4/30; χ2=12.458, p<.001). ADHD patients with EP suffered from severer ADHD inattentive, hyperactive, and global symptoms and higher levels of psychological distress (p<.001 to p=.027). Logistic regression model testing if ADHD and psychological distress symptoms predicted EP, in ADHD, explained 38.8% of the variance and showed that the only significant predictor was ADHD symptoms (B=.121, SE=.051, p=.017).

Our results indicate that EP are associated with severer ADHD clinical pictures. EP arose secondarily to ADHD symptoms, instead of serving as means to alleviate psychological distress. Clinicians should be mindful that, in ADHD patients, EP follow specific motivations, i.e., impulsivity and inattention, and may respond to combined cognitive-behavioural/executive training strategy.

No significant relationships.

Alcohol dependence is one of the most frequent comorbidities in depression. Multiple environmental and neurobiological factors are directly involved in these diseases. In particular, impulsivity is present in many patients with dual pathology and may play a relevant role in its causes, clinical manifestations and prognosis.

To review the relationship between impulsive traits and dual pathology in patients with depression and alcohol dependence.

Presentation of a clinical case supported by a non- systematic review of literature containing the key-words “impulsivity”, “depression” and “alcohol dependence”.

This is a case report of a 43-year-old male with a known history of alcohol dependence and recurrent depression. Interestingly, the patient has a family history of bipolar disorder and alcohol abuse disorder on the paternal side, and frontotemporal dementia on the maternal side. He currently presents a depressive episode associates associated with a significant increase in alcohol consumption. The patient has presented prominent impulsive traits since adolescence that have been aggravated in recent years. This lack of impulse control is described as one of the most relevant factors in relapses in alcohol consumption. Multiple studies correlate the lack of impulse control with a worse prognosis in both alcohol dependence (greater probability of relapses and resistance to treatment) and depression (increased suicide risk). Likewise, an increase in cognitive impulsivity has been observed during depressive episodes, characterized by an inability to inhibit behaviors that have already begun and poor planning capacity, which could lead to a worsening of alcohol abuse.

Impulsivity traits are related to a worse prognosis in dual pathology due to alcohol and depression, and may present common etiopathogenic mechanisms.

No significant relationships.

Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures (PNES) refer to the dissociative condition which resembles seizures but does not involve epileptic synchronous cortical activity (Huff, 2021). 20% of people visiting epilepsy clinics have PNES (Huff, 2021). Depression, anxiety, and personality disorders predispose towards PNES (Ekanayake, 2018).

To present a case of PNES in a patient with dependent personality disorder (DPD) and to discuss the sociocultural aspects.

A case study.

A 23-years old, married female presented with 20 days history of episodes of ‘falling down, rolling on ground, and involuntary movements of her head.’ The episodes typically lasted from 20-25 minutes. During the episodes, patient closed her eyes but remained conscious and expressed her distress with gestures, and tearfulness was also observed. Her condition improved when she was offered water. The clinical picture of these episodes evolved with time. Her EEG and serum prolactin levels following the episodes were normal. Accordingly, a diagnosis of PNES was made. No acute stressor was present. The patient also fulfilled the criteria of Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). During communication with the patient, it appeared that the patient and her attendants perceived the train of questioning as investigational rather than therapeutic. Efforts were made towards a more empathetic understanding of their point of view, and the tailoring of long-term management in accordance with their sociocultural context.

The socio-cultural context is important in the management of PNES and a sensitive, and collaborative approach is recommended. Assessment of personality should be considered in patients presenting with PNES.

No significant relationships.

Numerous clinical and epidemiological studies show an increased prevalence of anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, in subjects followed for bipolar disorder. This comorbidity is not without consequence on the evolutionary course of the mood disorder, with frequent relapse, a lower pharmacological sensitivity and an increased risk of suicide.

We aim to analyze through a clinical observation and according to the data of the literature the place of ECT in the management of a bipolar disorder with comorbid OCD.

In this work, we reported a case of a patient in which depressive episodes of bipolar disorder and OCD comorbidity were present and the symptoms were resolved using ECT.

Mrs. TN with family history of suicide had experienced her first depressive episode in 2005 in post-partum, when she had 31 years old. The diagnosis of bipolar disorder II with comorbid OCD was retained after she has had several depressive relapses with few hypomanic ones and reported obsessive suicidal ideation with many religious compulsions. Despite several pharmacotherapeutic combinations (Teralithe, Olanzapine and Venlafaxine) a remission of the symptoms could only be obtained after 15 sessions of ECT that she has had in 2017.

ECT can be a very good substitute for the treatment of mood disorders with comorbid OCD resistant to pharmacotherapy.

No significant relationships.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a severe and common disorder that consists of distressing or impairing preoccupation with nonexistent or slight flaws in one’s physical appearance. People with BDD typically describe themselves as looking ugly, unattractive, deformed, or abnormal, whereas in reality they look normal or even very attractive.

Case Study

Case Study

Mr. X is a 31 year-old male with history of Opiate (heroin, oxycodone) use disorder currently on maintenance (Buprenorphine-Naloxone) treatment. On admission, urine toxicology was positive for opiates and other drugs.CIWA score was 11. He was started on Lorazepam taper, Mirtazapine, Fluoxetine, and was started on Suboxone soon after. His cravings decreased and he was admitted for Rehab. He reports that anxiety associated with his “body image” related to ears, shape of head, eyebrows since he was in high school which made him “feel uncomfortable” going to school and concentrating in his classes. His coping mechanism was covering his head with hats, shaving eyebrows, substance use, and receiving an otoplasty.

According to Houchins et al (2019), alcohol is the predominant substance used in BDD. It is interesting to note that only 6% of BDD patients had Opioid Use Disorder, but as this case demonstrates, can be a debilitating comorbidity that raises the risk for suicidality or hospitalization. However, little research has been done on the treatment of OUDs in patients with BDD or on the treatment of BDD in patients with an SUD, and this is an area of research that could benefit the modern population greatly.

No significant relationships.

While it is well known that there is an interaction between sleep disorders and substance abuse, it is certainly more complex than was previously thought. The effects on sleep depend on the substance used, but it has been shown that both during use and in withdrawal periods consumers have various sleep problems, and basically more fragmented sleep. We know that sleep problems must be taken into account to prevent addiction relapses.

To explain the different sleep disorders caused by substances such as alcohol and cannabis

As an example of this, two cases are introduced: the first one, a 17-year-old boy, who is diagnosed with ADHD with daily cannabis use since the age of 14. As a result of reducing consumption, he presents an episode of sleep paralysis that he had not previously had. The second one is a 50-year-old man diagnosed with a personality disorder and with dependence on cannabis and alcohol for years. He currently has abstinence from alcohol for months and maintains daily cannabis use. However, he has long-standing sleep pattern disturbances and frequent depersonalization phenomena at night.

Alcohol at low doses has no clear effects on sleep architecture. At higher doses it decreases sleep latency, as well as awakenings. In chronic alcoholic patients, a decrease in deep slow sleep, and more fragmented sleep have been found. Cannabis withdrawal reduces sleep quality, increases latency, and produces strange dreams.

There is a positive relationship both between having a substance use disorder and suffering from a sleep disorder.

No significant relationships.

Adults may continue suffering AHDH symptoms after this condition is recognized and typified in children. Different works provide evidence that adults have an even more complicated variety of psychiatric disorders than children, as an increased risk of problems stemming from substance abuse, depression, anxiety, increased risk of traffic accidents, and also sexual transmission diseases.

There was known that adults could continue suffering symptoms derived from his infantile ADHD. We wonder if the majority of the young males derived to our consultation present compatible symptoms with adult ADHD. This condition promotes the onset of substance use and may lead to latent psychosis onset.

We analyzed 39 patients derived by suspicion of psychiatric pathology, aged between 17 and 35. They stem to clinical psychology for study of features of personality (Million Questionnaire). Another questionnaire was used also autoapplied for sifted of the ADHD in adults (ASRS_V1:1). According to the criteria DSM-IV TR, the patient had moderate symptoms of ADHD if it was fulfilling 6 or more diagnostic criteria according to their answers in the screening questionnaire.

The results supported the existence of impulsivity, aggression, irritability, problems with compliance and substance abuse.

ADHD is not only a problem of distractibility or worry, but a deeper and extensive alteration caused by the deterioration of a set of cerebral activities. An early treatment in the childhood could prevent devastating consequences for their development, since they include the majority of the functional areas of the patient and it impedes their later social and labor adjustment.

No significant relationships.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are neurodevelopmental disorders that commonly persist into adulthood. ADHD in adults can resemble, and often co-occurs with, bipolar disorder (BD), which might lead to diagnostic errors, ineffective treatment and potentially serious adverse consequences.

To review on the overlaps and differences in the psychopathology of the two entities and particularities of the management when they occur comorbidely.

The Medline database through the Pubmed search engine was used with the following keywords: “adhd” and “bipolar disorder”.

ADHD has an estimated prevalence of 10-30% in adults with BD. Despite the symptomatic similarities, there are some important differences. In the ADHD/BD comorbidity, symptoms like attention-deficit, distractibility, irritability, impulsiveness and hyperactivity that may present in (hypo)manic and/or depressive episodes, tend to persist after clinical stabilization. While adult patients with ADHD typically experience ceaseless mental activity and wandering mind, BD patients may have racing thoughts and perceive them as making sense. ADHD patients may have poor socio-occupational achievement that may lead to low self-esteem, low self-confidence and depressed mood. Features like course of illness, psychiatric family history and treatment response may help differentiate the two entities. The treatment must start with mood stabilization and then proceed to the treatment of ADHD symptoms.

A complete clinical history, with particular focus in the neurodevelopmental history, is important but sometimes is not enough for an accurate diagnosis of this comorbidity. As so, clinicians should be aware of the high comorbidity rates to prevent misdiagnosis and provide the best care for both disorders.

No significant relationships.

Tinnitus is an auditory perception of a “phantom” nature with highly changing features. There is an established correlation between anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and tinnitus.

To evaluate the prevalence of sleep disorders and emotional disorders during tinnitus and their correlation to the severity of the symptomatology

A descriptive cross-sectional study of 60 patients consulting for subjective tinnitus. For each patient we collected epidemiological data and performed an ENT and general examination, an audiometric and psychoacoustic evaluation and a psychometric evaluation. To evaluate the severity of the tinnitus we used the visual analog scale VAS and the subjective tinnitus severity test (STSS). Disability was assessed by the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). Anxiety and depression were assessed by: the Hamilton anxiety Rating scale and the Beck depression inventory.

The prevalence of emotional disorders was: 21.7% for depression, 48.33% for generalized anxiety disorder, 11.67% for dysthymia, 5% for agoraphobia 16.67% for panic disorder and 1.67% for social phobia. The intensity of tinnitus was correlated with more panic disorder (p=0.008). Subjective severity of tinnitus was correlated with disability (p=0.0001), awareness of tinnitus in relation to sleep duration (p=0.006) and disturbed sleep (p=0.047). Disability was correlated with subjective tinnitus severity (p=0.0001), panic disorder (p=0.0007), generalized anxiety disorder (p=0.033), and poor sleep quality (p=0.005).

Our results emphasize the importance of emotional disorders as well as sleep disorders in chronic “tinnitus”. These disorders should be systematically investigated and eventually treated in order to optimize the management of the patients.

No significant relationships.

Magnesium is one of the crucial electrolytes that plays a significant role in maintaining various cellular and metabolic processes. Studies demonstrate that Hypomagnesemia is evident in patients of critical care unit and alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Low Magnesium level is associated several dreadful complications as such higher mortality, cardiac arrythmias, septic shock, prolonged ICU stay, increased need for intubations and delayed weaning from ventilation etc. Prescribing Magnesium with cautious supervision might prevent these alarming sequels. Value to determine Hypomagnesemia regarding critical patients is extremely significant to determine timing for possible interventions.

To review the impact and significance of low serum Magnesium level on prognosis of patients with critical care unit and alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

To evaluate our reseach topic, we search through “Pubmed” and “Google Scholar” database using key words “Hypomagnesemia”, “Critical care” and “Alcohol withdrawal syndrome”, articles popped up. We select 5 articles on the basis of internal and external validity.

Level of Magnesium determination is extremely crucial to steer proper management in ICU, CDU, and critically ill patients. Studies reflecting most of the patients in critical care and alcohol withdrawal syndrome suffer from Hypomagnesemia. Most recent studies demonstrate that a level below 0.75 mmol/L is considered Hypomagnesemia for total Mg and level below 0.42 mmol/L for ionized Mg.

Hypomagnesemia is associated with dire consequences and fatal outcomes for critical patients in terms of mortality,prolonged ICU stay,septic shock as well as need for mechanical ventilation.Supplementing Mg with careful monitoring could prevent lethal aftermath while treating patients of AWS and critical care.

No significant relationships.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurologic degenerative condition with complex neuropsychiatric manifestations which can be challenging to manage and greatly impact quality of life and prognosis.

The description of this case aims to highlight the complex interaction between PD, drug-abuse and impulse control disorder (ICD).

Clinical information was obtained through patient interviewing and medical records consulting. A literature review on the topic was conducted.

We report the case of a 52-years-old male with PD diagnosed at the age of 45, presenting with rigidity of right limbs and freezing of gait. He had a history of multiple substance-abuse: hashish, heroin and cocaine, with cessation of all substances by the age of 40. The patient responded well to antiparkinsonian medication initially, but needed frequent adjustments and developed ICD secondary to dopamine agonists, presenting pathological gambling and hypersexuality. At 47 he restarted using cocaine stating that it diminished the motor symptoms. Motor symptoms worsened and became partially responsive to medication. Pharmacologic options were limited due to ICD. He developed dopamine dysregulation syndrome, abusing dopaminergic drugs and requesting multiple prescriptions. Deep brain stimulation surgery was proposed, but the patient was deemed unfit for the procedure after two separate psychiatric evaluations, mainly because of behaviour and social problems in relation to sustained cocaine abuse and personality disorder. Attempts to stop drug abuse were unsuccessful despite several interventions by addiction psychiatry.

Co-occurrence of PD, substance-abuse and personality disorder poses as a therapeutic challenge conditioned by pharmacological iatrogenesis and behavioural disturbances, requiring a multidisciplinary and individualized approach.

No significant relationships.