Psychosis improved dysphonia

Abstract

We present the case of a 40-year-old single man with a diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder since 1989 and a comorbid diagnosis of functional (dissociative) dysphonia since 2011. Although receiving ongoing treatment from a Speech and Language Therapist, the patient's symptoms of dysphonia have remained prominent from the time of diagnosis in 2011 and have been particularly apparent during times of psychosocial and interpersonal stress. He had a dramatic and complete resolution of all dysphonic symptoms during an acute relapse of the psychosis in February 2013 and experienced a gradual re-emergence of dysphonic symptoms when his episode of psychosis resolved. This is the first case report to demonstrate such an association and we discuss potential mechanisms for the resolution of dysphonic symptoms during this psychotic relapse.