Cerebral Malaria and Psychosis: Misdiagnosis and Treatment. A Case Study

Patients with psychosis are often mistaken for cerebral malaria, and hence
continue to be poorly treated. This work is aimed to highlight the features of
cerebral malaria and psychosis so that distinctions and proper treatment are
obtained. It was a case of 28 years old woman with 4 episode of mental illness
characterized by strange voices gossiping about her, poor hygiene, belief of
being monitored through her phone, accusing the mother in-law of witchcraft
and refusing food cooked in the house because it was poisoned. Four days
before presentation, she smashed their television because they were discussing
her childlessness. She was not feverish, not a known epileptic, diabetic or
hypertensive and no psychoactive substance use. Previous episodes of this
illness were treated in a peripheral hospital as typhoid fever and malaria without
significant change in her condition until she presented to us where she received
antipsychotics, and she became well and was discharged.