Highlights From the Residents’ Journal: December 2019

Badr Ratnakaran, M.B.B.S.

Mental illness and distress have traditionally occupied a prominent place in the arts. Narratives of mental disorders, healers, and therapies have all been depicted in art. Art has been used in research on and treatment of individuals with mental illness in asylums and other settings. The power of art has also been harnessed for purposes of psychiatric education. The authors for this issue’s special section theme have contributed articles ranging from film reviews to commentaries on paintings related to mental illness. I commend their efforts and thank them for contributing to an enriching and engaging section for our readers.

Tomi Rumano, D.O., and Virmarie Diaz-Fernandez, M.D.

Hashimoto’s encephalopathy was first described in 1966 as an autoimmune disease without definite diagnostic criteria. Because most patients with Hashimoto’s encephalopathy present euthyroid at the time of diagnosis, Hashimoto’s encephalopathy is often unrecognized or misdiagnosed. Clinical presentation can vary from psychiatric symptoms of acute psychosis, depression, and neurocognitive decline to episodes of cerebral ischemia, myoclonus, tremors, or seizures. This case study presents a patient with symptoms of acute psychosis and cognitive decline, who was ultimately diagnosed with Hashimoto’s encephalopathy.

Dennis J. Dacarett-Galeano, M.P.H., and Xavier Y. Diao, M.D.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is an affective illness characterized by emotional, cognitive, and behavioral disturbances in the postpartum period. Prior to the approval of brexanolone, the standard of care for PPD was psychotherapy or antidepressants, often taking 6–8 weeks for efficacy.