Acute dementia with delirium due to vitamin B₁₂ deficiency: A case report

Objective: Vitamin B₁₂ (cobalamin) is a key component in the catabolism of monoamines. B₁₂ deficiency is associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders and may be more frequent in psychiatric inpatients. The authors describe a case report of a newly admitted and relatively young patient (52 years old) with organic psychosis secondary to vitamin B₁₂ deficiency. No other overt clinical features of cobalamin deficit were observed. Symptoms were resolved with B₁₂ and folate replacement. The patient's mental status remained stable over the 3 months after the treatment. The authors note that organic mental changes were reversible with B₁₂ replacement. Conclusions: The authors propose that determination of serum vitamin B₁₂ and folic acid levels should be recommended as routine screening in all new admissions of psychiatric patients regardless of their age or previous state of health.