COVID-19 Psychosis: A potential new neuropsychiatric condition triggered by novel coronavirus infection and the inflammatory response?

Background A growing literature documents psychological distress related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19 or SARS-CoV2) pandemic Method We describe new-onset psychotic symptoms in three patients with no prior history of psychosis who tested positive in the Emergency Department for COVID-19 and who were otherwise asymptomatic Results Patients had similar presentations of agitation, disorganization, paranoid ideation and auditory hallucinations, with concurrent evidence of systemic inflammation as indicated by elevated C-reactive protein and other inflammatory markers Conclusion In addition to the possibility of a stress-related trigger, based on evidence of immune activation, we postulate a potential immune-mediated neuropsychiatric trigger to these new-onset psychotic symptoms that warrants further investigation