Acute Polymorphic Psychotic Disorder is a psychotic disorder with an acute onset, presenting thought and perception disorders variable into hours. Often, an emotional fluctuation is present and it may have a sudden onset and a rapid remission.

The review’s objective is to manifest acute polymorhic psychotic disorders and possible effective medical interventions.

The current case concerns a 52-year old mother of 4 children with the manifestation of acute polymorphic psychotic disorder with a background of a stressful factor. The patient was involuntarily hospitalized in the Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki from 04/01/ 2019 -21/ 01/2019 due to disorganization and acute confusing condition within the last 9 days. Delusional ideas of religious content were first observed, which alternated with ideas of greatness and then persecution, association and self-denial. She also presented auditory hallucinations while there was a fluctuation of emotion from excessive euphoria to depression. The patient had no previous hospitalization in a psychiatric clinic, however, 7 months ago she experienced another acute psychotic epeisode, while at the age of 17 and under the influence of intense stress, she described mood disorders.

The current symptoms subsided after one week from the day of admission. During her hospitalization, a brain CT was performed without presence of pathological findings. Initially, her medication included i.m. haloperidol 15mg / ml daily, followed by a change to per os paliperidone 9mg daily.

Her mental status was improved, with no disturbances of consciousness noted and she was discharged on paliperidone as home medication.

No significant relationships.

The pathogenesis of atypical psychoses, in particularly those characterized by polymorphic psychopathology, is hypothesized to be related to disturbances in amino acid metabolism.

In the present study, the role of the amino acid serine was investigated in patients with acute transient polymorphic psychosis.

Patients were loaded with serine and with the amino acids glycine and alanine as controls and subsequently evaluated for the development of psychopathological symptoms. In addition, plasma levels of amino acids were measured.

In a subgroup of patients suffering from atypical psychoses, this biochemical challenge resulted in the reappearance of psychedelic symptoms in particular. Furthermore, significantly lower plasma concentrations of serine were found. In vitro experiments revealed a disturbance in the one-carbon metabolism. In another group of patients the loading provoked vegetative symptoms and fatigue.

Disturbances in amino acid metabolism may be involved in the emergence of certain psychotic disorders.