Brief Acute Psychosis Following Hysterectomy in Ethnopsychiatric Context

JMY Tsoh, HCM Leung, GS Ungvari, DTS Lee
Correspondence: Dr Joshua M Y Tsoh, tsoh@netvigator.com

ABSTRACT
The psychiatric morbidity following hysterectomy has received increasing attention. One of the sequelae of hysterectomy has been a brief, acute psychosis with excellent outcome, the etiology and pathomechanism of which is still unclear. Two Chinese patients born of Southeast Asian origin who manifested brief, acute psychosis following hysterectomy are presented. Therapy comprised drug treatment with low dose antipsychotics and benzodiazepines coupled with hypnosis and marital therapy to explore and treat the underlying pathology. Both psychotic states resolved. Follow-up at 12 months revealed stable mental condition in one subject; however, the second patient was lost to follow up. The impact of the womb's removal is explored in the context of the ethnicity of the patients and their sociocultural background.

Keywords: brief psychotic disorder, psychiatric classification, hysterectomy
Singapore Med J 2000; 41(7): 359-362